


Misadventures of the Ice Mage

by RauryPori



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, F/F, F/M, M/M, Misunderstandings, RPG and Game Elements, RWBY au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-10 13:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13502266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RauryPori/pseuds/RauryPori
Summary: RWBY x Fantasy (RPG)Weiss Schnee is an Ice Mage infamous for her deeds of freezing and impaling anyone who dares to trespass on her castle and target her life. Both her ice magic and ice cold expression made her an infamous and fearful figure in the face of Remnant.While the Ice Mage spends her life peacefully in her icy castle, ridiculous rumors  spread around her distorting the truth from the lies.The Ice Mage is cold and ruthless, then who is the girl silently eating her blueberry sweets while drinking coffee?





	1. The Ice Mage takes care of Intruders

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea of this AU while reading stories that revolves around misunderstandings as its plot. I made Weiss as cold as possible on the outside to solidify the misunderstandings. Weiss would the MC but fret not other characters would be introduced later. 
> 
> This is an AU that mixes RWBY and Fantasy elements. Magic exists and is widely known in this world. There are people capable of performing magic (mages) but of course not all of them could. Aura and Semblance are still present in this world. About the Maiden's I'll think about them later, though I already have a slight idea what to do with them. 
> 
> Please tell me in the comments if you like this idea or if I should probably stop now and just focus on my other fics. Sorry, I got a writer's block on "Probability of Weiss Schnee falling for Ruby Rose" but post the next update once I've thought of what to write next.

               The biting cold atmosphere encompassed the whole forest. Never ending snow pelleting from the dark clouds above the sky. The temperature seemed to only become lower as you go deeper the forest. Tall, dark and snow covered trees surrounds the whole area, but eye-catchingly a lone dark caste stood in the middle of the ice cold forest. The roof tiles covered with a thick layer of snow, its windows fogged due to the coldness. It looked ominous when seen from afar but what made the sight of the caste even more frightening is the person living inside it. This forest is widely known as the Eternal Winter Forest because snow never ceased to fall within its area.

 

               “I, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Said a guy who’s bundled up with a fur coat. Trying his best to keep himself warm but the chilling atmosphere made it difficult. He kept rubbing his hands together to produce a bit of heat.

 

               The person ahead of them stopped and looked back. The others stopped to wait for him, clearly he must be the leader of this group of men. The leader frowned angrily, “Shut up. If I order you to do something just do it, don’t bother even thinking!”

 

               The guy visibly flinched and tucked back his neck in fear. “S-sorry, Boss.” He apologized, not wanting to be the receiving end of the latter’s anger. He’s afraid that his Boss might use him as bait or leave him to die in this freezing forest.

 

               “Keep moving! I don’t want to stay any longer in this freezing hell.” The boss led the way and the group of men followed his orders without any further questions. They suffered from the cold that seems to seep through their bones, their teeth clattering, and their noses turning red.

 

               Thirty minutes have passed and they still haven’t seen a glimpse of the frozen castle. They’re already running out of energy. Their food no longer edible and isn’t different from munching a block of ice, even the water they’ve brought immediately froze just by entering the premise. The leader was getting impatient, barking orders to his men to find that cursed frozen castle. They searched high and low but they couldn’t find a single trace of the castle.

 

               “How the f*ck can’t you useless piece of sh*ts find a single castle!? It can be seen from miles away before we entered the forest, and now you’re telling me that you can’t find sh*t! Don’t tell me that it moved.” hollered the leader as he raised one of his men by his collar. The poor guy struggled to get free. While the others looked at him fearfully, not wanting to be preyed upon.

 

               “B-but Boss, we really can’t find any trace of it. I swear!” said the guy being choked. They really couldn’t find the castle, as if it suddenly disappeared.

 

               “Useless!” the leader threw the guy to the ground, landing harshly on the snow, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. The leader kicked the guy away from him, his companions held him up from the ground.

 

               The leader looked around and scanned the area. Trying to find the reason why they couldn’t find a simple castle. Grunting in anger he looked back to order his men to start moving but what greeted him is snow. All the trees in his surroundings suddenly disappeared and now he’s standing in the middle of an open area. He looked around in panic trying to call for his men but they all seemingly disappeared.

 

               “What the f*ck!” he took a gun from his holsters and carefully scanned his surroundings. Walking with vigilance. Snow never stopped falling and it seems like they’re falling at a faster rate. Snow piled on his boots lowering his mobility.      

 

               “I don’t remember inviting guests. May I know if you’ve set an appointment?” a voice as cold as winter echoed behind him. The man turned back with neck breaking speed and started shooting but his bullets hit nothing but the snow in front of him. He looked back frighten out of his wits.

 

               “W-who’s there!? Show yourself!” he shouted as he kept shooting blindly. He only stopped when he heard his gun clicked emptily. With shaking hands he took a magazine to reload his gun but a silhouette of a person startled him, the magazine fell with a thud on the snowy ground.

 

               “I don’t like wasting my time with mongrels like you. Leave.” A person clad in an all-white garment appeared before him. It was a woman, long white hair pulled back into an off-centre ponytail pinned by an icicle shaped tiara. A crooked scar runs vertically on her left eye. A white high collared dress shirt adorned by snowflake patterns, white dress pants, and white knee length boots. A white single shoulder cloak on her right shoulder, reaching just a few centimetres below her knees. The cloak was decorated with glass like gems with varying colour. The inside of the cloak is in the colour of red, a huge contras to the all-white get up. What’s more frightening is the perpetual cold look on her face and her icy blue eyes could freeze up your soul.

 

               “Y-you! W-white hair…you’re << Eiskalt >>! ” exclaimed the man in fear as he faced the person that own the entirety of this frozen forest. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger but it was long empty and he didn’t manage to reload. He turned around to flee. All his bravado long gone when faced with the acclaimed [[Ice Mage]] that is also in the [Evil Faction].

 

               “Leave.” A strong gust of wind blew towards him, snow flying along with it. The wind circled the man and formed a vortex of snow until his vision was impaired. He pulled a dagger and stabbed at the air surrounding him but his arm recoiled as if he something hard. His hands freezing and slowly turning into purple. He cried in agony before he breathed his last, following his companions as a nourishment to the snow filled ground.

 

               The white haired mage looked at the ground with an ice cold expression, as if the guy’s death doesn’t even matter. She turned around, her cloak flowing gracefully with her motion. Snow gathered around and swirled around her before she completely disappeared, blending in with the surrounding.


	2. The Ice Mage’s Afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ice Mage spends her afternoon quietly in her study until an uninvited guest appears.

               A white porcelain mug was filled with coffee, steam still coming from it. It was a wonder how it could stay warm when everything around it was frozen solid, even the air is bitingly cold. Inside a large study room filled with bookshelves is woman sitting leisurely on a white and blue couch decorated with snowflakes. She sipped on her coffee, her actions smooth and elegant. Her decorative attire partnered with her noble aura, it wouldn’t be hard to mistake her as daughter of a nobleman or simply a part of royalty.

 

               “My Lady, would like a cake along with your coffee or perhaps a biscuit?” asked a warm voice. A middle aged man, probably in his early forties. He was holding a silver tray filled with different kinds of sweets. He placed the tray on the snow white table in front of her. Letting her pick whatever she want.

 

               “I’d take blueberry,” she said. The man picked up the plate containing the blueberry short cake and placed it in front of the woman along with a dessert spoon on the side. “Thank you Klein.” Thanked the woman. Setting down her mug and taking a small bite out of her cake. Letting out an appreciative hum but her facial expression remained cold. Klein smiled at her mistress.

 

               “Are the intruders well taken cared off, My Lady?” he asked as he have seen the security orb glow red, a sign that somebody went past the allowed premises of the forest. There are only two types of people who would cross to the forbidden area - somebody who’s probably lost or people with bad intentions towards the owner of the castle.

 

               “Yes, they’re probably with their predecessors by now.” She took another bite. It’s quite an interesting sight to behold. Weiss Schnee, was one of the peerless genius of Atlast is now a highly acclaimed [[Ice Mage]] yet this title is attached with one that most people fears off – [Evil Faction]. 

 

               There are three factions in the world of Remnant. The [Righteous Faction], [Evil Faction], and [Neutral Faction]. The [Righteous Faction] and [Evil Faction] are always in each other’s neck trying to wipe out the other from the faces of Remnant while the [Neutral Faction] serves as the mediator of the two for not favouring one or the other.

 

               The difference with their beliefs causes conflicts and a lot of misunderstandings. But not all members of the [Righteous Faction] are good people and the same goes for the members of [Evil Faction] it’s just a matter of different beliefs and set of moral values. Neither of the two is white or black because the world is in grey. It just depends on which side you prefer to see things.

 

               “I see, then I shall excuse myself. Enjoy your afternoon, My Lady.” Klein bowed before he left the room. The frozen doors produced an echo as it closed shut. Weiss sat silently while enjoying both her coffee and sweets.

 

               The cold air filled the room. The windows covered with fog making it hard to see the outside. Since snow never stopped in the forest it was hard to determine the time just by looking at the sky. It’s always blocked by the dark clouds endlessly pelting snow to the area. The Ice Mage silently enjoyed her afternoon snack until the door slammed open without warning, echoing in the empty hallways of the frozen castle.

 

               “My dear, how are you?” a smooth and cheerful voice filled with a slight hint of playfulness echoed in the cold hallways. Weiss didn’t even bother to look at her unwelcomed guest and sipped on her coffee. The warm liquid suddenly chilled in an instant. With a sigh she laid back on the table, now paying attention at the woman that almost destroyed her doors.

 

               “What’s with that look? That’s not how you greet your friends, Weiss.” Said the woman as she shook her head in a playful manner. The Ice Mage looked at her with a deadpanned expression.

 

               “Coco, stop slamming my door.” Reprimanded Weiss for the thousandth time.

 

               “Urgh, stop being so naggy, Weiss. I didn’t come here to hear you nag.” Groaned the brown haired girl, she flipped her caramel locks behind her shoulder, giving Weiss a disapproving look. Coco and Weiss is an odd pair because one is a member of the [Righteous Faction] while the other is from the [Evil Faction]. It was a wonder how the two would even be friends instead of straight up trying to murder each other. To Weiss’ defence she _once_ tried to murder Coco but that story is for another time.

 

               “I thought you’d be out for a mission?” asked Weiss. Coco flapped down on the chair opposite to Weiss. Picking out a small plate of caramel flavoured biscuits from the table. Munching on it before turning to answer the Ice Mage’s inquiry.

 

               “Supposed to be but the mission got cancelled because a Level 3 mission was suddenly reported. So the extermination mission got called off to allocate Huntsman and Huntresses to solve the problem. So here I am out of commission until it gets solved.” Coco held out her arms in a grandly fashion to show how bored she was at her current situation.

 

               “Level 3? What’s the problem?” asked Weiss, her interest piqued by the news. It isn’t that rare to find Level 1 and Level 2 missions, but Level 3 could be considered as a mid to almost high priority missions. It may not be a Level 4 or Level 5 but still cases like these are still uncommon. Did a nobleman got killed or one of the Council members got kidnapped? There’s an endless possibility.

 

               “I have no idea. I left before they announced the details.” Coco shrugged her shoulders in indifference. Not even bothered by the possible severity of the situation. Sometimes Weiss wonders why she’s in the [Righteous Faction] when she could be best friends with the members of the [Evil Faction].

 

               _Slam!_

“Coco! There you are.” Called a voice as the doors opened once again but less forceful than the fashionista. A brown haired woman who’s also a Rabbit Faunus ran inside, trying to catch her breath. The Faunus is Coco’s best friend from the [Neutral Faction], Velvet Scarlatina. Velvet looked at the Coco, comfortably seated and eating sweets. Her cheeks turned red when she caught her eyes, turning away her head in embarrassment.

 

               “Oh, Velvet! You’re finally here. Sorry for ditching you out there.” Laughed Coco as she looked at Velvet who she ditched as soon as they stepped inside the Ice Mage’s lonely castle. Velvet shot her an exasperated look. Weiss cleared her throat and diffused the familiar situation before Coco make the Rabbit Faunus cry again.

 

               “I, I’m sorry for slamming your door, Weiss. I won’t do it again.” Squeaked Velvet in a frightful tone as she finally registered the presence of the Ice Mage who owns the castle. Icy blue eyes stared at her making her shiver in fear. No matter how many times she have met the Ice Mage she couldn’t help but feel intimidated and be fearful of her. Coco always assures her that the Schnee means no harm unless provoked.

 

               Weiss nodded her head in acknowledgement. She wanted to offer her a seat and some sweets to calm the poor girl.

 

               “Aren’t you tired of standing there, why don’t you have a seat? Coco has already started eating without permission so you better just get one for yourself too.” She said but her voice turned out colder than she had expected and Velvet visibly flinched in fear as she sat beside Coco. Her hands shaking as she took a plate of cream puff, nibbling on it to distract herself from the scary Ice Mage.

 

               “Aww, my poor Velvet. Come here.” Cooed Coco as she pulled the shaking girl in a side hug, her hand caressing her sides to calm her down. Velvet snuggled to Coco. A smile appeared on Coco’s face before turning to face the Ice Mage with a teasing eyebrow.

 

               “You always scare her with your coldness. Can’t you take off a few notch so she wouldn’t be scared every time? Even I feel intimidated by you occasionally.”

 

               Weiss looked back icily, opened her mouth to apologize. This isn’t the first time she have scared Velvet. Her very presence scares her so Weiss tries not to stay in the same room with Velvet with just the two of them. Either Coco or Klein should be in the room with them.

 

               “Deal with it, Adel. Her getting used to me isn’t my problem.” Weiss’ mouth twitched but her expression covered for it. Opting to shut up and drink her now cold coffee.

 

_‘Weiss, just shut up for dust sake.’_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Klein, Coco and Velvet! 
> 
> Those three would be seen a lot in this fic. I'm already sorry if Coco is a bit OOC but I need somebody to counter Weiss' ice cold persona with somebody sarcastic and fabulous as Coco, also throwing in Velvet for cuteness. Who doesn't like Velvet!? I promise I won't kill you mercilessly. *loads shotguns* 
> 
> This would be updated by a weekly basis but could do a double update if I have the time and had those creative juices flowing. 
> 
> Please leave a comment and Kudos! Thank you for giving my story a chance. :D


	3. The Ice Mage goes out for a walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ice Mage goes out for a walk outside her forest. What could possibly go wrong?

               If you ask anyone, how often do you see a Mage? Seven out of ten would tell you that they’ve never seen one. Some are even lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Mages are about 10% of the current population yet only about 3% of them could be seen around in public. When a child is discovered with the talent to perform magic, sharks would be swimming around. Nobel’s from different factions would like to have the person for themselves. They wouldn’t want to see the potential mage grow up and became a threat to them. The constant hunt for Mages is one of the reason why Mage’s have a short life span when they could actually live long enough for over a hundred. Mages are valued for their potential but could be merely discarded once deemed unusable or a threat.

              

               Inside the forest where winter never cease lived an Ice Mage that is closed off to the world. Her heel echoed with every step in the cold and empty hallways. The castle remained cold and detached from anything. As if time has stopped in order to preserve this place. The thick branches of the trees collecting snow showing a deep contrast to its dark body.

 

               Her cloak swished back and forth, while her snow white hair flowed elegantly behind her shoulders. Her icicle tiara gleaming from the rays of the lamp which gives a light blue hue. Pools of icy blue are deep and devoid of any emotion. Her face stoic and cold.

 

               “My Lady, are you sure you don’t need me to accompany you?” questioned a worried Klein as he tried to match his mistresses’ steps but making sure that he’s about two steps behind her to keep proper decorum. “I could inform Ms. Adel to request for her presence.” His instinct as a butler telling him that he shouldn’t let his mistress leave without escort. Some strange rumours might start flying again if he leaves her on her own accord.

 

               “Klein, I’m going by myself. I don’t need any chaperone, besides I’ve always go out by myself.” Countered Weiss as she kept her pace, walking down the grand staircase. A large glass window decorated with snowflakes is placed above it, showing the view of the frozen lake outside the castle grounds. Weiss took a beeline to the main door. She stopped in front of it and faced the worried man. A sigh escaping from her lips, but she looked irritated if seen by others.

 

               “But My Lady,-” Klein started again but was interrupted by Weiss.

 

               “No, Klein. I’m going by myself.” _‘Besides what could go wrong with a simple walk outside?’_

“As you wish, My Lady.” Sighed Klein as he resigned himself to accept her decision. Steeling himself from whatever may occur once his Lady steps out of the forest grounds.

_‘My Lady, you going outside alone is what I’m afraid off. I better call Ms. Adel after she leaves.’_

“Good.” The Ice Mage nodded in appreciatively at Klein for understanding. She raised her hand towards the double door. A small ice blue glyph formed on the tip her index finger, it rotated and stopped at the door before it disappeared to it. An audible click could be heard. The castle grounds is protected by Weiss’ magic glyphs that blocks any trespasser from entering the premises. The castle may look old and from ancient times but the sturdy castle become an impenetrable fortress when subjected to the Ice Mage’s notorious magic. The protective glyphs would freeze anyone who tries to break in and ultimately turning them into a block of ice. Such methods are also implemented to the entirety of the forest grounds, with the exception of the area Weiss kept open for the townsfolk to gather fire wood.

 

               The door was opened by Klein as he stood beside it turning his attention to Weiss. Weiss looked at the outside with the same stoic expression on her face but Klein knows that she’s excited to go outside. Her lips slightly tugged upwards, it should be a slight smile but turned into condescending smirk. Klein shook his head internally as he sighed.

 

               “…”

_‘I wonder what’s new in town. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone outside the forest.’_

“I’ll be back before sunset.” Said Weiss as she walked out of the castle. Her white boots making contact with the snow. She walked through the snowy plain as if she’s walking on concrete. Her steps so light that it doesn’t leave any footprints.

 

               Subconsciously, Weiss uses ice magic to cover the heels of her boots to be able to walk on snow. She have been living at Eternal Winter Forest for about five years and had been used to the living environment. The freezing temperature has no effect on her for being an Ice Mage and a high level to booth. She’s currently at 4th Circle – Mid Stage. Although her speed in levelling her magic is faster than majority she have actually encountered a bottleneck on breaking through the 4th Circle – Late Stage. She has been stuck for about a year and it’s making her restless.

 

               A Mage could be ranked in terms of the number of Magic Circles they could create thus the Circle System is created. There are Six Circle levels which are divided to Three Stages each. With each level possessing greater power than the previous. The highest Circle was only known in records and tales is the 6th Circle Magic. Huntsman on the other hand uses a simple ranking system that follows from S Rank to E Rank, where S is the highest and E as the lowest rank. Civilians are ranked as F for not having combat abilities.

               In a world with both magic and grimm is full of danger. Anyone can be attacked and killed. Negative emotions could draw out the grimm’s from their lair, following the scent of fear. Weiss trekked the forest leisurely. The entire forest was once full of grimm despite its freezing temperature it was infested on every corner. You would be able to encounter a grimm just by walking a few steps inside. The town near the forest is constantly in red alert and would suffer waves of grimm every now and them. Their fear of the grimm only drew them closer.

 

               Weiss could turned to a corner. Looking forward to her trip to town. Softly humming to herself. Unconsciously evoking ice magic. Snow and icicles formed hanging on a tree branch, on top of a frozen rock, and just basically everywhere within Weiss’ casting range. The temperature dropped even lower yet the humming Ice Mage is unaware of what she’s doing. Seemingly engrossed to her own delusions.

 

               The cold wind blew from the forest. A few townsfolk shivered and unconsciously hugged themselves to keep them warm. Most of them are wearing thick coats and several layers of clothing. With the existence of the Eternal Winter Forest that encircles from the northern up to the eastern sides of the town they have grown accustomed to wearing thick layers of clothes to keep themselves warm. The freezing temperature from the forest reaches the town but thankfully not too cold as to the extent when you enter the forest.

 

               “It has gotten a lot colder hasn’t it?” asked a man in a thick black sweater to his companion as he rubbed his hands to create friction.

 

               “Yeah. Let’s go buy some hot coffee. I’m freezing.” Agreed the companion as he was visibly shaking due to the coldness.

 

               The two left to get coffee on the nearest coffee shop.

 

               Weiss reached the opening of the forest. Just a few steps more and she would be stepping on dry land instead of snow. She calmed herself before turning her head towards the town. It was still visible from the forest despite the few kilometres of distance. Weiss could see the fences created near the premises of the forest. Signage’s that warns people of danger is placed in various areas.  A large and dilapidated sign with the picture of grim is loosely hanging on a large tree. Weiss have seen that sign before when she first got here, it was splattered with fresh blood and a seemingly new claw mark. She knew she had a lot of cleaning to do.

 

               Shrugging her shoulders to clear her thought she walked straight ahead towards the town. Following the dirt road, Weiss looked around the area for any signs of people. As usual the road towards the forest seemed abandoned. Because of the grimm nobody wanted to take the road by the forest and opted to circle around for safety. They would hire Huntsman to escort them and defend them from dangers. But aside from grimm bandits are the next threats to the travellers safety. They kill, pillage, and take hostages, especially women. Some might get sold as slaves or end up in the Red Light District. Humans are more terrifying than grimm in so many ways.

 

               _CRASH!_

 

               Weiss hummed as she walked but a large crashing sound echoed in the area. The silence has been disturbed. Weiss stopped for a moment, trying to pick up a sound. She heard several footsteps, metal clanging, and distressed cries. She pinpointed the sound from a few meters away from her. A Mage’s five senses are keener than regular humans. A glyph formed under her shoes and as if she’s sliding in ice, she make her way towards the origin of the sounds.

 

               The Ice Mage stopped just a couple of meters away when she got visual confirmation of what’s happening. She casted a few glyphs infused with light and shadow dust to hide herself, creating an illusion. Weiss saw an overturned waggon with a broken wheel surrounded by bandits. A team of four huntsman are trying to defend the passengers while trying to fend of the bandits. The bandits having the advantage in numbers are obviously winning. The passengers huddled closer to each other, shivering in fear.

 

               “J, just take t-the items! We surrender, please don’t hurt us!” shouted a man in a merchant’s outfit, he seemed to be the owner of the waggon. He looked pale as if he had just seen a ghost. Hugging a small child in his bosom. It must be his daughter.

 

               Weiss watched the scene in interest. Her eyes followed every detail. The advancing bandits, the defending huntsman’s, and the begging of the passengers. Everything seemed like out of a classic story of bandits attacking innocent civilians.  A story Weiss has been told when she was young. Weiss looked forward with innocent glee on her eyes, yet her facial expression seems to be unable to keep up with her. Her face remained stoic and unfazed.

 

               _‘If I remember correctly, the Hero should be arriving at any moment.’_

 

               Weiss looked around for any signs of the said Hero in those fairy tales. The Hero always save the people from the Villains and he would be loved by many. Weiss loved those stories Klein reads for her whenever he gets the chance. It keeps her from her monotonous life of sleeping, practicing magic, and studying. It was a never ending cycle. She’s glad that she’s free from it.

 

               “Hand over the child!” a snarky voice cut off Weiss’ thoughts. She turned back to see a burly man raise an axe to the merchant. The merchant despite shaking in fear hid the child behind him and used his body as a shield.

 

               “Leave them alone!” shouted a brave huntsman as he slashed at the bandit in front of him and dashed towards the burly man. His sword poised for a strike.  The burly man clicked his tongue and parried the slash. The two exchanged attacks until the huntsman got shot by an arrow on his back. He groaned in pain. Weiss noticed that his aura has been shattered letting the arrow pierce his flesh.

 

               “Arghhhh!!!” with a desperate roar the brave huntsman raised his sword and did a vertical slash to the bandit, ignoring the pain as his blood spilled from his wounds. The burly man was caught off guard and got slashed but he was be able to side step to avoid getting hit on vitals. Enraged, the bandit hacked at the huntsman wildly.

 

               The huntsman tried his best to defend himself but he was clearly exhausted and injured. He kneeled to the ground in pain. The bandit only stopped before the guy breathed his last. He turned back to the father and daughter duo. A malicious smile on his face. The two back away from him, until they backed into the waggon.

 

               “Now, where were we?” he walked towards the two, flashing the bloodied axe. “Oh, right. Hand over the child.” He said with malicious intent.

 

               “N-No! Never!” cried the merchant as he desperately hid his daughter.

 

               “Doesn’t matter. I would still take her away from you.” Laughed the bandit. He closed in on the two but a hand stopped him. The bloodied huntsman held tightly on the bandit’s ankle. Throwing away his chances of survival to protect the two.

 

               “S…stop. I w-won’t let…you.” Heaved the huntsman.

 

               “I’d like to see you try.” The bandit kicked off the hand and pulled the merchant away from his daughter. The child screamed and kicked at the bandit in fear. The merchant desperately called for his daughter but he was detained by another bandit. It seems like the other members of the huntsman we’re defeated. They laid bloody and injured at the floor.

 

               “Father! L-let go of me! Somebody help!” cried the child as the bandit held her with an iron grip. Checking the face of the child. An evil smile bloomed on his face.

 

               “I could sell you for quite a sum. You got a beautiful daughter and quite young!” Laughed the bandit as he sent a malicious smile on the beaten up merchant.  

 

               Weiss watched the scene with a frown. She scanned her surroundings and had even used a glyph to search the area for anybody but she found no one but these group of people.

 

               _‘Where is the Hero? Is he not coming? The bandit have already won. I don’t like this story.’_

A disappointed sigh escaped her lips. This isn’t what she was expecting to happen. This shouldn’t end this way. The Villains should be defeated by the Hero and not get away with it. She looked at the burly bandit and raised a finger. A glyph formed and rotated in front of her. Her eyes glowing ice blue as she evoked ice magic on her glyph.

 

               A pale blue light shot towards the man, immediately he turned into an ice sculpture but the child was left unharmed. Silence enveloped the area, nobody knows what happened. The bandits cried in alarm and drew their weapons, searching for the perpetrator. Sadly they wouldn’t even know that the person responsible is already standing in front of them.

 

               For every step that the Ice Mage takes another bandit it turned into ice sculptures. The injured huntsman’s looked around worriedly. Somebody is attacking the bandits and turning them into ice sculptures.

 

               Weiss stopped in front of the weeping child. Raising her arm towards the child, a white glyph glowed under her small body. All the dirt and grime slowly disappeared. The child looked around in wonder as the unknown symbol on the ground worked its wonders.

 

               The brave huntsman earlier saw the glyph and his eyes widen in shock. He had heard about this rumour that an Ice Mage lives and owns the entire forest near the town but he couldn’t believe that it was true. A single Mage owning a huge piece of land and is obviously known by the local authorities. It all seemed farfetched. All of the bandits suddenly turning into ice sculptures, who could have done that but the Ice Mage _himself_. He tried to stand up but failed miserably to he just watched the glyph slowly fades away. Cold sweat forming on his back.

 

               _‘If the Ice Mage is here then we are in deep trouble. This [[Ice Mage]] is part of the [Evil Faction]!’_

The huntsman looked around him trying to find the Ice Mage but it was like looking for a tree in a forest. It was simply impossible. They were saved from the wolves yet encountered a lion instead. Their luck is so bad.

 

               “P-Please, let us go…” begged the huntsman as he weakly tried to plea leniency to the unseen Ice Mage. Betting on his life that the Ice Mage from the [Evil Faction] might actually ignore them. Their life is comparable to an ant in front of the infamous mage. Even if they are in their top form they probably wouldn’t be able to fight the Ice Mage head on.

 

               “What is your status?” A cold voice that sent shivers down everybody’s spine echoed clearly in the area, despite how low the volume it was actually said. It contained a powerful aura that left them breathing heavily. The temperature dramatically dropped.

 

               White. They saw a person in an all-white attire appear suddenly in front of the child. _His_ form hazed with white mist. They couldn’t see the figure clearly but _he_ was wearing a white hood that’s covering _his_ face.

 

               The child shivered in both fear and the coldness of the air around the mysterious person. She sank down on the ground, tears streaming down her face. This person was even scarier than that burly man.

 

               “I’m sure you aren’t mute.” The person tilted _his_ head and raised a hand to pat the child’s head. But this scene looked like _he_ was trying to freeze the child up like what _he_ did with the bandits. The merchant and the brave huntsman inhaled sharply. Fear and dread filled their very core.

 

               The hand landed softly on the child’s head and immediately she felt her aura resonating and reacting with the hand. Her body felt lighter and her wounds stopped hurting. She blinked at the scary person in front of her. He doesn’t seem like _he’s_ going to hurt them. _He’s_ scary but _he_ must be a _good guy._ The child’s innocence and ignorance to the identity of the person in front of her gave her the courage to ask for a request.

 

               “Can you please make my father feel better too?” she looked at the person in white with her innocent eyes. The Mage silently stared at the child before raising _his_ other hand and a four meter glyph shone brightly with the mage at its centre. The injured huntsman’s looked around warily, their hands reaching for their weapons.

 

               The passengers and the four huntsman felt their body getting better and their wounds healing, albeit not fully. They looked at the mage in wonder and astonishment. They didn’t expect this to happen. The mage starred at the child, kneeled in front of her and held her small hand into _his_ cold and gloved ones.

 

               “You owe me one for this.” _His_ tone cold and unfazed. The child nodded her head in understanding.

 

               “I, I’ll handle everything! T-thank you for your help. I will shoulder the burden of my daughter’s request. If so then please, if you are okay with this old bag of bones then do as you please.” the merchant who seemed better ran towards the kneeling mage and his daughter, he grovelled on the ground. Fear lingering on his mind. He’s afraid that the Ice Mage might take away his daughter as compensation.

 

               “ …” The mage stood up, despite kneeling on the ground _his_ white pants remained spotless and crisp. _He_ turned at the merchant and pated the head of the child once again. That move scarred the wits of the merchant. He cried in his heart. His daughter is going to be taken away by the Ice Mage.

 

               Before he could open his mouth to beg the Ice Mage’s image seemed to blur and suddenly disappeared. No trace could be found. As if he was never there in the first place.

 

               “My daughter!” the merchant snapped out of his reverie and hugged his daughter tightly. Thanking the Gods that the Ice Mage held no interest with his daughter.

 

               If only the merchant knows that the Ice Mage is actually a female then he wouldn’t be so afraid of his daughter being taken away. Weiss likes to wear the hood of her coat whenever she shows up in public. It was drilled in her mind that Mage’s shouldn’t let their faces be known of they might be easily targeted. That is how she was able to shake away people targeting her. They only recognize her all-white attire and infamous glyphs.

 

               _‘The brave huntsman could be the Hero but he was still too weak to protect others. His story must be starting. He will get stronger in the future.’_

Weiss then resumed her trip towards the town. Illusion magic still casted to hide her. What she didn’t expect is that the brave huntsman would actually become a renowned warrior in the future and it all happened because she helped him. She had become his goal to become stronger and protect others.

 

               When asked about his goal, he would always reply with: “I want to be as strong as that eccentric Ice Mage from the [Evil Faction], << Eiskalt >>!”  The reason for his answer will always remain a mystery to others, until it was revealed that he encountered the infamous Ice Mage back when he was still a D Rank Huntsman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update because I got those creative juices flowing but the next one would probably be by next week. I'm trying to delve further into the AU elements and try to make it as interesting as possible. I've tried to incorporate Western and Eastern fantasy power levels so I ended up with the Magic Circle System. Any suggestions or comments are very much welcome. 
> 
> Magic Circle System
> 
> 6th Circle – Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage  
> 5th Circle – Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage  
> 4th Circle – Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage  
> 3rd Circle – Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage  
> 2nd Circle – Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage  
> 1st Circle – Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage


	4. The Ice Mage goes to an Auction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice, Underground Auctions, Shady Auctioneer, more Ice, and the Ice Mage in her full glory.

 

    Weiss glared icily at the sunglasses-wearing brunette. Deliberating whether she should freeze her or stab her in the stomach with an ice spear. She didn’t ask to be dragged to a shady underground auction out of town. She doesn’t like going to these places where everyone could literally stab your back to loot your items and claim the bounty placed on your head.

 

    Her ice cold stare caused the people in their surroundings to unconsciously shiver. Despite not being the one directed by the stare. Weiss had her hood up covering her long white hair and half of her face from the public’s view. The cold mist surrounding her body makes an optical illusion as if her body’s not actually there and it’s merely an image produced by magic.

 

     It was cramped in the hallways yet people are making sure to deliberately stay away from the three, specifically Weiss who’s excluding a chilling aura. Velvet is hiding behind Coco, shivering at the Ice Mage’s icy glare. Her bunny ears laid flat on her head. She gripped tightly on the girls’ clothes, ruffling them in the process. Coco wouldn’t mind since it was Velvet if it was other people then they would have to face her trusty handbag.

 

    Unfazed by the Ice Mage’s glare, Coco grinned cheekily at her infuriated friend who she dragged away from her cozy icy castle. Cosy means warm and homey not icy and lonely. Weiss needs to reevaluate her life decisions according to Coco.

 

    “Why should I be here in the first place!?” hissed Weiss as she walked the dimly lit hallway towards their designated room before the auctions start. Weiss doesn’t want anything to do with this place. This place disgusts her. So filthy and rotten. Weiss loves cleanliness and this place is far from that.

 

    “Well, my beloved << Eiskalt >>, you need to be here because how on remnant I would be able to enter the place without you? Hello, in case you forgot. I’m from the [Righteous Faction] and shady underground auctions are your factions’ thing. Being evil and all. Man, I hope our faction do the same thing.” Replied Coco as she complained how boring and stiff her faction was. Weiss resisted the urge to turn around and stab her there and then. Leaver her in the hallways for others to loot.

 

    She stopped when she heard Velvet whispering to Coco to stop aggravating Weiss. Weiss’ is convinced that the poor Faunus got cheated on this friendship and has a terrible luck of having Coco Adel as her best friend. It seems like Weiss also has a terrible luck because she’s stuck with Coco’s craziness.

 

    “Then leave your faction and join the [Evil Faction] instead, you seemed suited for it more than I.” deadpanned Weiss as she schooled her face into iciness as she tried to keep her promise to Klein. She promised not to stab anyone or turn them into popsicles because they annoy her while she’s out with Coco. Her emotions are causing the air around her to drop the temperature, slowly resembling the coldness of the Eternal Winter Forest.

 

    People who passed by them shivered in utter coldness. Some even tried to light up a torch but couldn’t remain a lit because of the freezing temperature. They could only endure the coldness. Nobody tried to voice their complaints because of the visible difference in power.

 

    Weiss stopped in front of a rusty door with the number 16 on top. This is their assigned room. Weiss glared at the door as if she wants it to disappear. Coco sighed in annoyance, pushing the Ice Mage to the side she turned the knob and pushed open the door. She walked inside to see a medium sized room, with a window at the front that allows the guest to watch the auction from their seats. Five seats are placed in front of the window. The whole room is decorated with lots of expensive stuff yet Weiss looks at the room as if she’s seeing filth.

 

    “Clean freak.” Coco rolled her eyes as she made her remark. Taking up a seat in front of the window, pulling Velvet on the seat beside her.

 

    “You’re not going to take a single step on my castle until you thoroughly clean yourself after this.” Said Weiss as she took a seat beside Coco. She doesn’t want to scare Velvet. She’s already shivering in the hallways. Sitting next to her might cause a heart attack.

 

    “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want Ice Queen.” Said Coco as she took the item list on the table. She browsed through the items and let out a whistle. She turned at Weiss in amusement.

 

    “Your faction is really something! Some of these items have been reported as missing or stolen. Expect the [Evil Faction] to have them all.” A smirk formed on Coco’s face.

 

    “That only means that your people are easy to steal with.” Weiss flipped at the item list nonchalantly, not interested in any of the items. They’re either trash or her has better. She looked at the stage below, the spotlight shining brightly on the podium. A man in a western suit walked up to the podium.

 

    “Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to our auction house. I am going to be your auctioneer for tonight. So let’s start off with the first item on the list. An armor made out of high-quality steel and infused with fire, lightning, and wind dust crystals. This armor would greatly increase your chances of survival. The price starts at 3000 Lien!” the auctioneer officially started the auction.

 

    “That armor looks pretty good but its design is very crappy. I wonder who made it?” mocked Coco as she looked at the armor on the stage. Some people are already bidding for the armor. A huge man with burly muscles who seemed to be a warrior won the bid for the armor.

 

    “Now for the next item. A lightning spear made out of purely concentrated thunder dust crystals. This fellow could cut and stab almost anything! I will do a demonstration to show you, people, what I’m talking about.” The auctioneer took the lightning spear from the staff that’s holding it. He spun and twirled the spear with ease then slashed at the rocks brought over for a demonstration. He slashed and stabbed the rocks until there were nothing but rubble. Some of the audience seemed to be interested in the product because some are already trying to call up a price even before the auctioneer gave a starting bid.

 

    “I know that spear! That’s the family heirloom of a 2nd rate noble family in the eastern branch of [Righteous Faction]. It was reported as stolen when somebody sneaked into their private warehouse. So it was here all along. Damn, I’ve failed a mission because of that unsearchable item and all this time it was just here!?” Coco’s brows twitched in irritation. Velvet tried to calm her down by drawing circles on her back.

 

    “Once again your people are easy to steal with.” Coco glared at those icy blue orbs that seemed empty and devoid of emotions. Snorting before turning back at the auction. Coco tried to remember the face of the person who won the spear. Her eyes flicked with malice. She turned at Velvet then said.

 

    “Vel, could you get me a picture of that guy that bought the spear.” She said as Velvet looked at Coco with a questioning expression but still took her camera and snapped a picture of the man who’s holding the lightning spear. Velvet missed the evil glint of Coco’s eyes but Weiss surely saw it. Raising an eyebrow at the girl who’s supposed to be a member of the [Righteous Faction]. While the innocent girl from the [Neutral Faction] didn’t know that she’s going to be an accomplice to a crime. And here she is an Ice Mage from the [Evil Faction] not even stopping them. Why should she?

 

    “You should consider turning to the [Evil Faction].”

 

    “Nah, I’d pass on that. Nobody wants to be hunted down.” Coco shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back comfortably in her seat. Velvet handed her the photo of the man. Coco pulled Velvet into a side hug. A mischievous smile on her face.

 

    “You’re the best, Vel!”

 

    “What are you going to do with that?” asked Velvet as she accepted the hug from Coco. She couldn’t think of the reason why would Coco want a random man’s photo. She looked at Coco with questioning eyes. Coco who was unable to resist the Faunus cute expression squealed in delight. Crushing the girl with a bear hug.

 

    “C-Coco! I can’t breathe!” said Velvet as she struggled free from her friend’s bear hug.

 

    “You’re so cute, Vel!” she cooed at Velvet then turned to her right, “And you are so not cute! Try being cuter next time.” she sticks her tongue out at the Ice Mage staring at them nonchalantly. Weiss rolled her eyes at Coco’s nonsensical ramblings.

 

    The auction continued until the final item on the list was auctioned off. Weiss was prepared to get out of the room when the auctioneer announced that they’re auctioning a special product which isn’t listed on the items for tonight. This caught Coco’s attention and she made Weiss sit back down in her chair.

 

    Grumbling in dissatisfaction, Weiss glared icily at the auction. Four people pushed a cage like an item from behind the stage, a red curtain covering the whole item. Weiss could already guess what’s inside the covered cage. It’s either a beast or a person. The Ice Mage doesn’t care about any of those and would rather go back to her icy castle with Klein’s perfect coffee and sweets.

 

    “I’m leaving.” She stood up from her seat. Resolution of her tone.

 

    “Just a few more minutes, Weiss. This is the last one.” Said Coco as she pointed at the stage.

 

    “I’m not interested.” Weiss shot down her idea. “Besides why would I-?” Weiss stopped mid-sentence as she stared blankly at the stage. Her eyes zeroed on the product that was now revealed and under the spotlight. Coco looked at Weiss weirdly before turning her head back towards the stage. Her eyes widen in shock, she clearly didn’t expect that to be what’s inside the cage and behind the curtain.

 

    Weiss walked towards the window and placed her hands on the window pane. Icy blue eyes locked into the petite figure seated inside the cold cage. It was a girl whose age is probably no less than sixteen. Her small body bound in heavy looking chains connected to her wrists and ankles. She couldn’t probably stand due to the weight of those chains. On her neck is a metallic collar embedded with a black stone in the middle. A slave’s collar, a collar that blocks out the aura and forces the wearer to obey the orders of whoever is recognized as their owner. Weiss’s eyes locked on her figure, trying to assess the girl. Something compels Weiss to keep an eye on the girl and she doesn’t know why.

 

    The auctioneer started at the astonished crowd, satisfied. He immediately jumped into an explanation of the product’s details.

 

    “This you lady here is somebody who possesses pure aura that many mages needs for their researches. We all know that a mage’s research is their lifeblood and many fails because they couldn’t get a source of pure aura. For an aura to be deemed as pure it needs to be clear of any impurities. Finding such a person is difficult so we opted for distilling and cleansing aura to lower the impurities. But now we found a girl who could be your live aura resource. We could guarantee to you that she’s the real deal. Let me demonstrate.” The auctioneer snapped his fingers and a staff opened the gate of the cage. The auctioneer walked up to the girl and pulled at the chain on her neck, a choking sound could be heard from the stage. The girl was so weak that she couldn’t even struggle.

 

    Weiss stared icily at the stage. Her eyes narrowing in displeasure.

 

    “If you cut open a wound on her you would be able to see the luster of her blood affected by her aura.” The auctioneer smiled in an eerie way, taking a dagger from his pocket to make a cut on her pale cheek.

 

    “W-what!?”

 

    The auctioneer’s left arm, the one holding the dagger was suddenly encased and frozen with ice. He looked around in panic. He tried using his aura to protect his arm but the coldness is seeping through his bones and his arm is already turning purple. The ice magic drains his aura.

 

    “Get your filthy hands off of her.” Weiss’ cold voice amplified by aura echoed in the auction room. Weiss Schnee, the Ice Mage in her all glory was floating in the air, as she was standing on her glyph, right in front of the stage. The spotlight shining on her, hiding her expression from others. But they could see her eyes glowing an icy shade of blue, the cold mist around her thickening. Instantly the room’s temperature hit the freezing point. Ice starts forming on the walls and ceiling.

 

    “W-why? What is w-wrong with you!?” asked the auctioneer who’s desperately trying to thaw the ice that’s slowly covering the left side of his body. He is shaking with fear. He knew who was the hooded person was and is very afraid of what will happen next.

 

    Weiss’ white coat blew along with the cold wind around her. Her eyes turning colder for each passing moment. Countless blue glyphs conjured in the air around her and the whole room, the crowd was thrown into chaos. Several mages have cast a protective barrier while others tried to flee the room but the doors have been frozen shut by ice. Silence filled the room. Nobody dared to breathe loudly.

 

    “Filthy.” With a tone filled with scorn, Weiss shot a blue light at the auctioneer and completely frozen him to death. Weiss walked silently down to the stage, conjuring glyphs as her foothold. Once she landed on the wooden floor she walked toward the cage and kneeled in front of the girl. Her expression calm but her mind and heart is in chaos.

 

    Excitement filled her heart. She raised a gloved hand gently lifted the chin of the girl. Started at her silver eyes. Silver met Icy blue and some unexplainable feeling surged through the Ice Mage. A smile crept up to her lips then she let out a chuckle. The silent crowd shivered in fear when they heard the Ice Mage’s chuckle, it was spine-chilling and unmistakeably full of evil intentions.

 

    “This will do.” Weiss nodded in satisfaction as she raised a finger to cleanse the girl using her glyphs like what she did with the merchant’s daughter. The girl’s expression didn’t change but Weiss saw a split second of surprise in her silver eyes.

 

    “I’m taking her.” Declared Weiss as she summoned a 10 feet tall Arma Gigas to tear out the cage and then proceed to carry the girl herself. She looked at the staffs, her eyes hidden under the shadows of her hood. They flinched in fear. Weiss threw a pouch which contains a snowflake emblem on it towards them. One of the staffs clumsily caught the pouch.

 

    “T-This,” They stared wild-eyed at the contents of the pouch. It was filled with Dust Crystals of the purest form and they’re all high quality. This exceeds their expectations on how much would they be able to sell the girl. Mage’s tends to use all their fortune for their research and nobody would be spending three Mage’s worth of research for a single slave. The Ice Mage of the Everlasting Winter Forest is surely an eccentric one.

 

    The Arma Gigas carried Weiss on its arms and they both disappeared in a strong vortex of wind and snow.

 

    The crowd stared agape at the now empty stage. The auctioneer has been turned into a Popsicle and the final item has been taken away by the eccentric Ice Mage. This is a lot to handle. More importantly, who knows Fire Magic to thaw the frozen doors!?

 

    “…”

 

    “D-did Weiss just take the girl by force and covered it up by giving away dust crystals?” asked Velvet in mixed disbelief and horror at what transpired in just a few minutes.

 

    “…”

 

    “Coco?”

 

    “WEISS F*CKN’ SCHNEE! You complicated Ice Queen! How dare you ran off like that and leave us! Who’s going to pay for the ride back home and the lodgings!? I am not paying a single cent!” Screamed Coco in bloody murder. Cursing the feared Ice Mage like she was nothing. Coco’s curses awed the crowd for both recklessness and bravery.

 

    Velvet sighed in resignation as she shook her head.

 

    Meanwhile away from the auction house. The Arma Gigas is running at a good pace while carrying its summoner on its arms. The Ice Mage cradling the girl in her arms. She looked at her and said softly.

 

    “You’re staying at my castle.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, here's a new chapter of our beloved Schnee. I've tried the Grammarly this time and if there's still any errors please do tell me and I'd consult Grammarly again. 
> 
> Introducing a new character! I'm sure everybody knows WHO she is, right? Did any of you expect her to be introduced this way?


	5. The Ice Mage has a new companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HELP WANTED!  
> Somebody who could help the Ice Mage to function like a proper human being.  
> Please Contact Klein Sieben for more details

                How do explain to your butler that you technically kidnapped a person from her supposed kidnappers for no particular reason?

 

                The face that Klein made when he came to welcome his mistress back into the castle is priceless. His looked like a deer caught in the headlight. Alternating his brown orbs between the nonchalant Ice Mage and the unknown girl cradled in her arms.

 

                The girl was small in stature and it seems like she has loosened a lot of weight. She is wearing a ragged dress patched together but offers too little to cover herself. The shackles on her four limbs are too eye-catching, thick chains hanging loosely from them. Weiss was in a hurry to get out of that rat’s den that she just haphazardly broke the chains connected to the cage. She intends to remove it later. Seeing those chains irritates her, almost making her turn back and freeze everyone inside the auction house. 

   

                Weiss asked Klein to help the girl to clean herself properly and change into a better set of clothing. While she waited for them inside the study.

 

                  Tic Toc…

 

                The grandfather clock’s ticking echoed in the large study room. Accompanied by the Ice Mage’s heels clicking back and forth as she walked in circles, deep in thought. Her brows knitted together in impatience. Her white cloak swished back and forth along with her movements and the white mist surrounding her thickening.

 

                The room temperature turned colder for every passing moment. Icicles actively forming on the ceilings, the misty windows was now fully covered in a thin layer of ice. The Ice Mage’s ice magic leaks out because of frustration and impatience.

 

                  While she’s waiting for Klein and the girl to arrive, she has tried to calm herself and thought of her recent actions that she made back in the auction house. She couldn’t help but groan in frustration. Now, the Ice Mage just realized how illogical and impulsive she was. Taking a girl by force and show of power, then threatening to attack all people that were present in the auction with her glyphs, freezing almost half of the area, actually freezing somebody to death, and lastly leaving Coco and Velvet in that dangerous place.

 

                With a resigned sigh, the Ice Mage sat on her couch and held her face in her palms. She could feel her head throb in pain.

 

                Weiss grudgingly sank on her white couch, her back hunched in resignation. The stoic Ice Mage looked visibly agitated, the way her brows furrowed and her lips pursed into a straight line. The icy demeanor only intensified as an icy mist hovered around her. Snow forming on the ground beneath her feet. Her eyes glowing icy blue.

   

                  Anybody who could have seen this image would have trembled in fear and ran away with their tails tucked between their feet. The Ice Mage had a notorious reputation of freezing and decapitating people with icicles. Her notoriety has reached far and wide that several huntsman and huntresses tried to go after her head but they all failed miserably. Although there was one exception, an assassin was sent to kill Weiss but the said assassin only went there and gave her the name of her employer before she disappeared into the shadows.

 

                  Weiss never met the assassin again. She didn’t even bother tracking that person. Anybody who could actually reach her castle, sneak into her study room, and disappear right in front of Weiss, is a skilled individual. She’s just happy that somebody actually doesn’t want her head on a silver platter. Dealing with her father who wants her back in his basement is already a handful. He never stopped sending people until Weiss went over to freeze Whitley, he only agreed to stop when Whitley almost turned into a complete Popsicle.

 

                As Weiss reminisced her past endeavors dealing with her father when the door opened. She turned her head towards the large double doors. Her breathing hitched as her eyes zeroed in on the lithe figure behind Klein. The girl was wearing one of her white dress shirts, it hangs loosely on her body and the sleeves were rolled up because it was too long. White short shorts and white shoes. Weiss felt guilty about the lack of fashionable clothes in her wardrobe aside from white. Coco has a point that she needs to buy a different color other than white. Red and black suits her, but arguably white does look good on the girl. It complements the red highlight on the girl’s hair, something Weiss only noticed when she was carrying the girl in her arms.

 

                 The girl kept her head down and stopped by the door refusing to take another step, she seems afraid of the Ice Mage’s presence. Weiss remained silent as she blatantly stared at the girl. Klein cleared his throat to interrupt the Ice Mage’s staring. Weiss blinked and turned her head away from them.

 

               “My Lady, the young miss seems to be a little afraid of you.” Said Klein in an awkward manner.

 

    “…” Weiss frowned at the obvious fact. When her eyes turned back to the girl, the girl flinched and avoided her gaze, wanting to make herself little as much as possible. Weiss sighed at this sight.

 

_‘Now what?’_

 

                “Come here.” Said Weiss as beckoned the girl over with her usual tone. Klein sighed at his mistress. She’s clearly not doing this right. Scaring the poor girl in the process.

 

                “Go on, don’t worry. She won’t hurt you.” Gently Klein urged the girl to step into the study. The girl looked up at him with a blank look but the slight quiver of her lips showed her fear. Klein gave her a reassuring smile. Her silver eyes darted back at the Ice Mage seated on her couch as if it was a throne made for her.

 

                 Weiss waited. Her gaze devoid of any emotion. The snow beneath her feet has already piled up.

 

                  “…”

 

                  The girl walked up to Weiss as if she’s treading on thin ice. Looking around except her. The girl shivered slightly as she neared the waiting Ice Mage. The snow beneath her feet seeped through her shoes and the thin dress shirt couldn’t help her the slightest.

 

                 “Cold?” asked Weiss as she raised an eyebrow out of concern. The girl stopped mid-step when she heard the question, she shook her head but her trembling betrayed her answer. Weiss stood up from her seat and walked up to meet the girl halfway. She raised her hand and held the girl’s shoulder. Her eyes glowed as she verbally cast her magic.

 

                “「Ice Resistance」” As soon as the spell was cast the girl felt that the coldness suddenly disappeared. She felt her body and noticed the lack of coldness, she turned at the mage curiously. Weiss had a nonchalant expression on her face.

 

                “It seems that I forgot to cast 「Ice Resistance」to you when we got into the castle.” Weiss lamented her careless mistake. The poor girl was subjected to the freezing temperature of her castle.

 

                 “…”

 

               “Are you mute?” she asked the girl. She hadn’t heard the girl talk or utter a single sound ever since she took her from the auction house. The girl remained quiet for most of the time they have traveled back. Weiss’ tone carried a hint of disappointment but she didn’t notice it.

 

                 The girl looked at her. Icy blue met silver. Weiss couldn’t help but notice how lifeless and resigned it was. Wondering what happened to the girl to have such a look on her face. She seemed so young. She seems to be the type of person you would try to keep on the palm of your hands and never let her face the cruel world.

 

                  The girl opened her mouth and Weiss listened in anticipation. But her face showed no signs of it.

 

                “H, how are you going to kill me?” muttered the girl in resignation. Her tone seems like she’s accepting fate. Weiss’ face froze with a chilling smile. The girl visibly trembled in fear. Despite the ice resistance spell cast on her, she could feel the sudden drop of the temperature in the room.

 

                She couldn’t keep her voice when the glass window behind them suddenly frozen over and cracked into smaller pieces. She stared at the shattered glass covered in ice in horror. She took a step back from the Ice Mage. The cold wind blew from the shattered window.

 

                 A cold gloved hand stopped her from retreating, it rested on her waist, the touch sends shivers down her spine. Another hand cupped her chin and gently raised her head. Her eyes met a pair of glowing ice blue. She audibly gulped in fear. The coldness of those hands is seeping through her clothes and into her body.

 

                 “I beg your pardon,” the Ice Mage’s tone is cold and condescending.

 

               “I-I mean, if you c-could tell me…I, I could at least prepare myself.” Her voice quivered in fear and those pair of silver eyes finally showed emotions, but those aren’t the emotions Weiss wanted to see.

 

                “Who told you that you’re going to die?” Weiss’ hold tightens. Her eyes narrowed in displeasure. Her eyes glowing a colder shade of blue, seemingly agitated.

 

                  “Oh, I see,” she bit her lip as her face grimaced, “I wouldn’t even be granted freedom by death.” Weiss couldn’t fathom how the girl ended up with such a ridiculous conclusion. The Ice Mage completely forgot about the rumors attached to her infamous name and the frozen bodies in the trees scattered in the forest didn’t escape the girl’s eyes. The girl believed that she’s going to end up the same fate as those guys. Or worse, she’d be up on the experiment table.

 

                 “You’re not dying.” She firmly stated.

 

               “What kind of experiment?” she asked.

 

                “No experiments.” The girl slightly trembled in Weiss’ hold. She seemed to have realized something. Her face blanched with a horrible conclusion. Weiss raised a curious brow.

 

                 “Then,” the girl avoided her stare as she fidgeted on her spot. She looked at Weiss with a humiliated expression on her face. Taking a deep breath she asked another question that rendered Weiss incapable of speech.

 

    “B-….b-bed warmer?” it was almost a whisper but Weiss heard it clearly with her enhanced five senses and for the fact that she’s barely inches away from the girl.

 

                 “…” Weiss just stared at the girl with an unreadable expression, the hand on the girl’s waist unintentionally tightened. The girl bit her lips, taking Weiss’ silence and tightening grip as a confirmation. Her face blanched and turned a slight shade of pink.

 

                 “S-sorry, I’m inexperienced with that aspect.” She muttered.

 

                 “I don’t care about that.” She said with an icy tone, trying to clear the misunderstanding. Her eyes narrowing at the girl trapped in her arms.

 

                 “O, oh.” The girl nodded in understanding. “Please take care of me.” She mumbled. Looking away from the Ice Mage. Resigned to her fate.

 

                “Likewise.” Weiss nodded in response, satisfied that she had cleared up the misunderstanding. Weiss failed to notice that she actually failed and made everything complicated.     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please somebody send help to the poor Ice Mage who has poor EQ. I tried my best to show how poor Weiss' social skills despite being a Schnee but I'd delve on that later in the story. 
> 
> PS. Poor Klein he's probably crying in his mind right now on what to do with Weiss AND Ruby. 
> 
> PPS. How do you think Coco and Velvet would react to Ruby once they visit the resident Ice Mage? Hmm...


	6. The Ice Mage complicates everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ice Mage takes her new companion into a tour but explosion occurs.

 

                  Weiss never felt so defeated and infuriated at the same time. Despite her lack of social skills she tried her best, keyword tried, to be a good host as she led the girl through the hallways of her Ice castle. The emptiness of the cold hallways, the utter lack of anything but decorative paintings, expensive looking vases, glass chandeliers, and silver armors made for aesthetics made it look like the typical FINAL BOSS Battle Castle. To Weiss’ defense, most of the stuff in here was owned by the Evil Mage who used to own the castle. Weiss won the castle and the entire forest from him. She has decided to just move most of his junk in a random room, lock it up, forgotten.

 

                  “I didn’t mean to show you that, please accept my apology.” Apologized the Ice mage as she walked beside the girl.

 

               Her apology was greeted with silence. The girl trying to fall a few steps behind her. Looking very terrified. Weiss couldn’t blame her for that reaction, her blunder would have been the cause of that.

 

                  “Y-you…” the sentence died along with a vexed sigh from the Ice Mage, shaking her head for the nth time. “Forget it.” She turned her head up front and focused her attention up ahead, wishing that she could jump into a hole and bury herself deep within.

 

               Three days have passed since she has brought the girl into her castle. Klein did his best to make sure to attend to the girl’s needs. Bringing her food, change of clothes and making sure that she doesn’t wander around and lost in this massive ice castle. Weiss tried inviting the girl to eat with her in the dining room but it proved to be a difficult task.

 

               Weiss has once accidentally given an order, the black collar in the girl’s neck glowed an ominous purple. As if electricity flowed through her body, the girl suddenly stood up straight, her eyes devoid of life and followed Weiss towards the massive dining room. Her complexion turned white as if competing with the Ice Mage’s impossibly white complexion. Her hands trembling.

 

               After the accident, the girl refused to leave Klein’s side. Looking terrified at the apologetic Ice Mage whose facial muscles refused to cooperate. Klein cooed and soothe the girl, giving her a warm glass of milk.

 

                Weiss regretted listening to Klein’s suggestion. “Why don’t you take the young miss for a tour of the castle, My Lady?” he said. Weiss agreed immediately, wanting to make up for her previous actions. And now, the Ice Mage wished that she never agreed to that ridiculous idea.

 

               The girl refused at first but complied a few moments later when her eyes widen in recollection. Weiss saw a faint trace of fear when her fingers traced the black collar on her neck. Weiss furrowed her brows at the sight. It feels like somebody kicked her guts in guilt. She would do her research later on how to remove that offending item.

   

               “I’m sure you have seen the East wing. It’s where the study and bedrooms are situated. We’d be going to the North wing. That’s where we keep my laboratory and testing facilities.” Explained Weiss as they made a turn. Pointing at different directions and rooms, explaining their purposes. The girl followed her, trying to catch up to the Ice Mage that seemed to be gliding than walking.

 

               Weiss kept talking and played her part as a guide, not even noticing that the girl behind her could barely keep up and almost tripped a few times. Weiss suddenly stopped turning to face the girl, a lithe body collided towards hers. Unconsciously, the Ice Mage stretched her arms to catch the body. Unknowingly clutching it tightly until she heard a soft whimper. Looking down at the body pressed against hers, she immediately let go but still held her shoulder to help her steady.

 

               “My apologies,” said Weiss, she peered through her lashes, observing the girl.

 

               ‘She seems different from what I’ve heard.’

   

                 “Are you alright?” Ice blue watched and followed every movement. The girl flinched when she caught her eyes. Weiss stepped forward and closed the distance between them. Observing the latter’s features comparing them to the image she had in her mind. A question escaped from her lips before she could register it.

 

                “Are your eyes really silver?” for once her tone conveyed her curiosity. She studied those silver orbs and wished that she know how to cast light magic to see how they reflect with light. The lighting inside the castle is done with dust infused lamps. Each lamp contains a pure lightning dust crystal, a very expensive item just wasted as a lamp. They illuminate the dark halls but not enough to the Ice Mage’s liking. She’s contemplating whether to replace all lamps or kidnap a mage who is capable of light magic to fix her problem.

 

                “Y, yes they are.” Mumbled the girl as she tried to avoid eye contact. The action didn’t go unnoticed by the attentive Ice Mage. She has noticed that ever since the girl arrived in her castle she never once directly looked at another person’s eyes unless she was forced to do so. Such action puzzled the Ice Mage.

 

               A sigh escaped from her lips, taking a step back to create distance, her light-blue eyes scanned the girl one more time before turning around to continue the tour. The Ice Mage accepted the fact that she might not be getting her questions answered anytime.

 

                  “I’d be taking you to the South wing tomorrow. That’s where the storage and garden is.” Weiss pointed in the direction of the frozen lake from the window. A medium sized shelter could be vaguely seen from their position but it must be the storage that Weiss is talking about. The girl meekly nodded her head.

 

               “Let’s just go to the laboratory,” Weiss led the two of them to the North wing of the castle. When they arrived at their destination a loud explosion echoed from the outside and the security orb placed in every room glowed red. The sound of the explosion didn’t stop and echoed the with an interval of a few seconds. A frown appeared on the Ice Mage’s features. Ice and snow forming under her feet.

 

                “I,” Weiss sighed as she pinched the space between her brows. “I’m calling Klein to take you back to your room. I’d be welcoming guest, so if you’d excuse me.” The Ice Mage had a stone cold expression on her face as she summoned the same Arma Gigas she used in the auction hall. The Arma Gigas walked towards the girl and cradled her into its arms before running off to find Klein leaving the Ice Mage by herself.

 

               The girl watched the Ice Mage disappear with a vortex of snow and glyphs. A complicated expression is shown on her face.

 

               The Ice Mage reappeared outside the castle just a few meters away from a group of robed figures, assumed to be mages of different classes and Hunters. But one of them stood out by wearing a fancier black robe with crystal skulls used as shoulder guards. The mage was holding a staff embedded with fire and thunder dust crystals but comparably smaller than the ones Weiss uses for her lamps.

 

                 As soon as they got a visual of the Ice Mage, a barrage of magic rained on her. Fire, water, earth, air, and even poison was hurled at the Ice Mage. Weiss raised her hand and held open her palm, conjuring a series of glyphs within 3-meter radius with her as the center. All the magic that enters the area vanishes without a trace. The mages’ kept firing until somebody used a bombardment spell that cased another series of explosion.

 

                “「Arrow Explosion!」” 

 

                “「Ice Coffin」” Weiss cast a spell in retaliation. The mage who cast the bombardment spell managed to evade at the last second but the person behind him suffered and got encased in ice. A Hunter bearing a bastards’ sword charged at Weiss, aiming for a diagonal slash. Weiss cast a gravity infused glyph and rebounded the force back to the Hunter causing him to stumble back a few steps.

 

               “Kill him! Make sure that we take his head. The Ice Mage of this forest shall perish!” shouted the fancy robed mage as he cast a fireball towards Weiss’ direction. Weiss used her gravity glyphs once again to deflect the attack.

 

               “You people are the ones going to perish.” Said Weiss in a cold tone. Her eyes glowing ice blue under the shadow of her hood. The wind grew stronger and a blizzard suddenly occurred. Weiss gathered aura into her palm to quickly finish them off but a shadow appeared below her seemingly cast from above. The moment she looked up she couldn’t help but curse under her breath.

 

                “「Falling Star」” muttered Weiss as she recognized the 3rd Circle Spell. It’s a level lower than her and she could easily counter it with a stronger magic but what made it complicated was that there’s two of them. Somebody managed to cast two 「Falling Star」simultaneously. One was falling towards her and one towards the castle. Without a second thought, Weiss cast a spell to counter the one heading towards the castle.

 

               “「Ice Fortress」” It is a defensive spell that erects a strong pillar in resemblance to a fortress wall made out of ice but it takes time to cast it. If this was in a normal situation Weiss could have cast a wall circling all her opponents but faced with a destructive spell like the 「Falling Star」the second wall wouldn’t make it in time. Weiss has forgone protecting herself to protect the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who could guess why Weiss is really sorry about? What do you guys think will happen next? But hey it ended up with a BANG! eh? eh? okay...
> 
> Kudos and Comments are welcome.


	7. The Slave’s Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby narrates what she have been through before she met the Ice Mage.

 “Ruby, why are you here? You shouldn’t be here. Let’s go back.” Said the man as he took my hand pulled me back to that place. I’ve managed to sneak to the border unnoticed but that small freedom was cut-off shortly as I was discovered very easily.

 

               I wanted to flee and run back. Run away from this place but the man’s hold on me is comparable to a vice-grip. I silently winced in pain. They never treated me gently only when that lady visits. They would serve me good food and give me candy but once the lady leaves everything comes back to the way it used to be. I lowered my head and blankly stared at the ground. I’m going back to that place.

 

               I just wish that the lady never leaves. I know that’s only for show but I constantly want to grasp that warmth. I wish she could just take me away, out of that cold place.

 

    “I don’t know how you got there but if you don’t want to get into trouble stay put. Do you understand?” said the man as he kept walking making me stumble at his pace. He never looked at me in the eye, well nobody did. Even if they did they’re staring right through me. As if I don’t exist.

 

               “Three days from now she’s going for a visit to be good and don’t cause us any trouble, understand?” the man opened the door to my room, the place where they kept me locked for all that I could remember. I nodded my head in understanding. He checked his pocket watch and closed the door. I saw him cast a spell that locks the doors before he left.

 

               I sat on the thin mattress in the corner of the room. Curling myself up on the wall, hugging my knees to my chest.

 

    “Three days,” I muttered under my breath. Just three days more and she will come. I stared at the wall and tried to count the hours before she arrives. Ignoring the magic circles cast from different directions. They must be working again. “Hang in there, Ruby.”

 

    Today I was allowed to walk around the garden, used to the person trailing behind me. I strolled around the flowers before deciding to sit under the shade of a tree. The guard stood just beside the tree keeping an eye on me.

 

    I enjoyed the sunlight and the fresh breeze of autumn. I imagined myself far away from this place, somewhere I could be free to do whatever I want. Free to be me. I felt tears stinging from my eyes but I quickly wiped them away, side-eyeing the guard if he saw my tears. I took deep breaths to calm myself. Just one more day and she would arrive. I couldn’t help but feel excited and nervous at the same time. Her presence scares the people in here but she’s the only one that smiles at me. She’s the only one that talks to me softly and pets my head. She had become the light that I cling to.

 

               “Get up. You need to be in perfect condition when she visits. You can’t catch a cold by sleeping here.” Said the same man as he walked towards my direction. He nodded his head at the guard by my side, the guard swiftly picked me up from the ground and threw me on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Not caring that the wind was knocked out of my lungs with the force that he used. I coughed and gagged as I tried to catch my breath.

 

               “Remember not to do anything unnecessary. We don’t want to be implicated just because of your own—!?”

 

               Just one more day and she would be here. Just one more day. I have no idea how it happened but all I could remember is that countless of magic circles appeared in the sky. Magic circles overlapping one another but aren’t haphazardly made. I couldn’t decipher what it could do but I could feel it and I could see it before it struck down. Pillars of light followed by roars of thunder assaulted the facility that once got me captured. After the lightning, fire fell from the sky burning everything down.

 

               “S-shit! Take her away!” the man cursed and shouted at the guard manhandling me to run-away. The guard ran away with me on his shoulders. I looked back and saw the man casting different spells to counter the unknown assailants. A thunderbolt struck him from above turning his whole body into charcoal.

 

               My blood went cold at the sight. He was never nice to me but seeing him die right before my eyes scared me witless. I just stared at the spot until it disappeared. The guard carrying me was doing his best to avoid any incoming attacks until we reached the border of the facility. Once we crossed the border I felt a strong magic gathering from above. I turned my head in its direction and saw another barrage of spells shattering the magic array placed to protect and conceal the place. The surge of magic me nauseous and almost threw up.

 

               The magic array was gone. The only thing that’s keeping me locked up in this place. Without noticing I reached my hand to guard and turned my body into a position that would make him lose his balance. I succeeded and he stumbled down. The pain caused me to wince but I rolled away from him. I looked up at him. His eyes met mine and he suddenly halted.

 

    I never knew what happened after that. But I swear I saw a streak of gold and orange falling from above before everything went black. The next thing I know I got captured once again. Slave Traders, I was captured by them. I don’t know how but I was left wondering what happened to the guard and what that streak of gold that I saw was.

   

    The slave trades’ found out about my aura constitution. I tried to hide it but my wounds kept healing faster than normal. I was scared. Their eyes of greed and cruelty gave me nightmares. I would always wake up screaming, then I would get beaten for disturbing others.

 

    When I thought that it couldn’t be worse, the collar was put on me. It felt like my bones are being melted and my blood is boiling. I cried and screamed in pain but they strapped me to a chair. I howled in pain until my throat was hoarse and I couldn’t speak any longer. It felt like my mind was controlled and I no longer had control over my own body. I was a puppet for their biddings.

 

    How I wish that the attack never happen. My life as a captive in that cold facility is way better than here, at least I could still see her. Her smile and her warmth kept me alive. Now it’s all gone. Only the coldness of this pair of collars and chain accompany me.

 

    Three months after, I heard that I was going to be sold at an auction. I don’t know whether to be thankful or not. I could end up in a much terrible situation because clearly, only people with evil intentions participate in such auctions. People with inhumane hobbies, people who don’t care about the lives that they have taken, people who are filled with greed, and people who are worse than an animal.

 

               Resigned to my faith I stopped resisting the collar that’s been trying to control my body. I gave up and let it take over. It shut down and restricted my emotions, now I couldn’t feel anything. I never felt grateful never having to deal with emotions.

 

               Cold. That’s what I felt when I saw those glowing icy blue orbs. Her face covered with the shadow of her hood, white mist covering her visage. White cape fluttering in the cold air as the room temperature dropped significantly. My breath hitched when I felt her eyes on me. Cold and penetrating, as if my soul is completely bare in front of her.

 

                 The cold woman took me away in her arms as she summoned a giant armor glowing in the same aura as hers. She held me with care as if I was the most fragile thing on Remnant. My body is tense and the collar is probably masking all my emotions.

 

    “You’re staying at my castle.” Her voice is cold and her expression is stoic but I felt a sense of relief in the corner of my heart.

 

                 The woman was an Ice Mage judging from the element she always uses but she’s also adept in magic theory. I don’t understand them but I’ve seen a lot of them in the facility. I could pick out a few that I’m familiar with. She’s always cold and indifferent. The only emotions that I’ve seen in those eyes are coldness, contempt, and the rare guilt when she accidentally activated the collar on my neck.

 

                I don’t want to trust her. I don’t want to be by her side. I want to be back at the facility waiting for her visit. I don’t like the coldness of this castle. Even though Mr. Klein is nice the master of the castle is very cold and scary.

 

               The giant armor carried me once again in its arms, I found out that it was called Arma Gigas. It ran down the hallways as if it’s gliding like its owner. I saw Mr. Klein near a double door, he seems to be waiting for us. He closed the once we got inside, the Arma Gigas positioned itself in front of the door in a defensive stance. Intending to protect us.

 

               Explosions echoed in the area. Countless of magic circles and present before my eyes. I could see the familiar and unique magic circle cast by the Ice Mage. Different glyphs are cast being enhanced by dust to produce different effects. I saw her use gravity dust judging by the color of the glyph when it turned black.

 

               My breath hitched and felt suffocated when I felt a large scale of magic being gathered. My eyes widen in panic and fear when I saw the magic circle conjuring a medium-sized meteor that is headed towards the castle and down on the Ice Mage. I turned my head to warn Mr. Klein but another magic circle was cast just a second after it. A blue glyph was cast in our direction but the gathering and materialization of magic could only be formed just in time before it hit the castle.

 

                “No,” I mumbled. I never saw her cast one for herself.  

                             

            

              

              

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...how is it? I'm trying to put dept in the story. I don't know when I could put the next chapter cuz I'm quite busy with school work. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are very much welcomed.


	8. The Ice Mage Survives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss fighting her enemies.
> 
> Ruby saw something.
> 
> Klein is confused.

_The familiar taste of iron filled her mouth making her gag. Smoke and ashes filling her lungs everytime she breathes. She stood up with shaking knees, staring ahead. Weiss blinked and shook her head to regain focus and shadow of a fireball sprang out of nowhere and was heading towards her. Weiss jumped back and rolled sidewards. Looking around for her enemies._

_"「Ice Wall」" Weiss cast an ice wall to block the incoming volley of spells and weapons hurled at her. Ice blue eyes glowing menacingly, trying to pinpoint her hidden enemies. Her whole body aching in pain._

_"「Ice Spear」" Casting glyphs in the air, she used it as a foothold to get to a higher ground. A faint shadow of a person could be seen several feet away from her, she aimed the ice spear towards the target. Weiss threw the ice spear and heard it collide with metal and made sounds like it pierced through something._

_A wild lightning bolt flew towards her direction caught her off-guard and knocked her down from her glyph. Out of reflex Weiss barrel rolled before she hit the ground. She created another spear and threw it in the direction where the lightning bolt must have come, the sound of metal breaking into pieces echoed in the area._

_Weiss gathered magic into her palms, a magic circle glowing in light-blue formed and rotated in front of her. She could feel her magic reserves depleting and her aura is starting to crack. With a determined expression, she slammed her palm into the ground and the magic circle suddenly reflected to the ground and rapidly widening as it glowed brightly._

_Countless icicles protruded into the ground, piercing everything within range of the magic circle aside from its caster. The force of the magic cleared up the smoke and revealed bodies of metal pierced by the icicles._

_Ice blue eyes took the scene in front of her, looking for any sign of a survivor. Weiss felt magic being cast behind her, turning around she immediately created an ice wall to block the attack, a medium sized fireball shot pass the ice wall leaving a hole in it. Weiss cast a glyph and jumped over the ice wall and created several ice walls to block her opponent._

_Weiss used the concrete wall as a foothold before casting several glyphs in different directions surrounding the figure. With an ice spear in her hand, she sprang from glyph to glyph as she dealt damage to her opponent. Weiss jumped back and threw the ice spear that she's using the midsection of her opponent. It pierced through metal. She did it again and again until she was sure that the useless piece of metal could not pose a threat to her anymore._

_"I have enough." Weiss dodged a fireball hurling at her direction probably the last attempt to strike her down. She faced the fireball head-on, twisting her body to the side to avoid it. She raised her arm as ice started to cover half of it and clawed her arm through the chest of the metal armor. Weiss stood there with a blank look on her face, her eyes flickering with excess magic._

_Weiss stared at the metallic body in front of her, her arm halfway through its body. The limp arm suddenly latched onto her neck trying to choke her but it lacked strength._

"-ter! Curse you..." the voice snapped Weiss out of her revere and blankly stared at the man in front of her, clearly dying with her arm pierced through his chest, blood leaking from his mouth and chest.

Weiss looked down to her arm that is now encased in ice and the bloody puddle forming on the snow-white ground. Weiss pulled her arm from the man's chest when she felt his heart stop beating in her icy claws.

"Bloody," she muttered with a frown as she takes in the scene in front of her. Several bodies pierced by icicles, severed limbs, and blood everywhere. Even her clothes weren't spared. The used to be all white attire that the Ice Mage is known for is now dyed in splotches of red creating a horrifying sight.

A white demon splattered with bloody red.

"Now, I need to take care of this." The Ice Mage looked up at the sky and saw the still image of the spell 「Falling Star」 being slowed down by her Time Dilation glyph. The amount of magic it requires to sustain it is rapidly draining Weiss, she saw her aura broke a few minutes after casting a wide ranged glyph.

She raised her ice-covered arm and a different glyph appeared beside her, one that resembles the glyph she uses whenever she summons the Arma Giga. Slowly a standard-sized rapier is forming in front of her. It has four prongs that encase the revolver-like chamber around the ricasso. She held it in her hand when the tip of the blade was formed. Weiss used a glyph to propel herself towards the meteor-sized fireball.

 

* * *

 

Klein held into Ruby tightly protecting her from harm as they felt the impact of the 「Falling Star」to the 「Ice Fortress」. The castle shook as if they were experiencing an earthquake. Klein heard the sound of furniture falling down due to the impact. The Arma Giga did its job of protecting the two by using its body as a shield.

Klein felt the girl in her arms tremble and he couldn't help but reassure her by patting her head.

"Mr. Klein, she...I, she didn't," Ruby tried to tell Klein how she saw the Ice Mage cast a spell to protect them but leave herself defenseless.

 _'Why would she do that?'_ The Ice Mage is a bad person she shouldn't be protecting others when she, herself is in danger. It doesn't make sense to her. The entity known as Weiss Schnee is such an enigma. She couldn't put heads nor tails to her.

"Don't worry young miss. I'm sure My Lady would be fine. She's a strong after all." the girl in her arms is pale and frowning, it hurts his heart to see her with such expression.

"She," She suddenly felt shivers down her spine and fear creeping into her heart. Ruby looked out the direction where the Ice Mage is. Klein turned to where she was looking only see her staring at the wall. Shivering in fear Ruby hugged Klein but her eyes remained focused on the image of Ice Mage holding into an item that is emitting the aura of death. Its presence was so heavy that Ruby felt suffocated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thesis is done so I finally have some time to work on this. :D


	9. The Ice Mage and the aftmath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How are you?” asked Weiss in a flat tone as she inquired the girl of her status. She haven’t checked on her since the bloody scuffle with the intruders.

_Knock…Knock…_

               “Come in.” said the voice from within. The door softly opened revealing Klein with a trolley in front of him. A comforting smile on his face as he faced her mistress, comfortably leaning on the headboard of the canopy bed. The Ice Mage wore a simple white dress shirt noticeably missing the flare and decorative design of what she usually wore, a light-blue blanket draped on her lower half. Decorative white sheets made out of high class fabric are draped across the bed posts creating a cold yet serene atmosphere. It suited quite well with the Ice Mage’s aesthetics.

 

               “I brought some refreshments, My Lady.” Klein stopped the trolley beside the bed and started preparing the coffee that he brewed.

 

               “How is she?” asked Weiss as she closed the book she have been reading to pass some time. Laying it down on the nightstand on her side, she turned her attention to Klein who handed her the mug filled with her favourite coffee. She took it from him and took a sip, an appreciative hum followed. Klein smiled at this.

 

               “The young miss refuses to leave her room. Poor girl, she seemed to be traumatized of what happened.” Klein walked towards the windows and opened them, a cold breeze entered the room but neither of the two even flinched nor shiver to the coldness.

 

               The Ice Mage stared down at her coffee, her lips pressed into a straight line and a brooding expression on her face. She looked up to Klein and said, “I’m quite pathetic aren’t I?” a tone of mockery could be heard. Klein looked at her mistress and saw an expression she rarely show, helplessness.

 

               “No, you aren’t My Lady.” Klein started softly, trying to console and assure her pitiful mistress before she started spiralling down with her own depreciating thoughts. Taking light steps towards the Ice Mage, Klein knelt beside her bed and gently took the mug from her and placed it on the trolley. He held her hands in his own.

 

               “Sometimes, bad things just happen. We couldn’t do anything about them. But, that doesn’t mean we aren’t strong. You are strong, My Lady. You are far from pitiful.” Said Klein as he looked up to his mistress. The Ice Mage stared at him blankly, seemingly as cold as ice and immovable. He paid it no heed and gently caressed her hands.

 

               “So, have a good rest and be back to the energetic Ice Mage that I know.” Klein smiled once again and gracefully stoop up. Placing back the coffee in her cold hands. The room was cold yet the Ice Mage felt that it was actually warm. A small smile showed on her face. Neither cold nor condescending, a genuine smile was present on the Ice Mage’s face.

 

               “Energetic doesn’t suit me well.” Weiss softly mumbled as she brought the mug to her lips and felt the warm liquid pass through her lips and down to her throat. She shot Klein a reproachful look but Klein dismissed it with a hearty chuckle.

 

               “Yes, yes. I apologize. It was just a slip of the tongue.”

 

               “I’m going to summon more beowolves to patrol the vicinity. I couldn’t just ignore the fact that some people just waltz around my forest and treat it as if it’s their backyard.” The atmosphere suddenly shifted into a colder one as the Ice Mage recounted the intruders that she had fought. Feeling agitated at her momentarily carelessness stemmed for being distracted by the newly added resident of the castle.

 

               “I will go down to the town and ask the townsfolk to be wary of anyone that seems to hold any ill intent to My Lady. Is there anything you would require me to do, My Lady?” asked Klein as he waited for any additional order.

 

               “Go send a letter to Coco. Tell her that I need to borrow Velvet for a bit.” Said Weiss in an off-handed manner. Silently drinking her coffee.

 

               “Why would you require Ms. Scarlatina’s presence for, My Lady?” asked Klein in a curious manner.

 

               “Aside from you, Velvet would probably be the only person she would not get scared off. If she could handle being Coco’s friend and stay sane then she could probably help…that girl to open up.” The Ice Mage’s voice faltered a bit when she almost mentioned the other girl’s name. She doesn’t know why she suddenly felt hesitation in saying her name.

 

               “I will do my best to fulfil my duties. If you’ll excuse me I shall do it immediately.” Klein excused himself to perform his tasks. Weiss just gave him a simple nod in acknowledgment.

 

               Once the Ice Mage was left alone in her room, she placed down the now empty mug on her nightstand and walked towards the open window. Silver locks cascaded on her back, free from her usual ponytail. Several strands dances along with the blowing wind partnered by a cold expression on her face cutting a lonely figure. Ice-blue orbs observed the expanse of land and trees before her all covered in snow.

 

               She have magic, and she’s very much adept in it.

 

               She have reputation, regardless of it for being a genius of ice magic or for being a monster.

              

               She have a massive amount of fortune, she could care less about anything.

 

               But, why does she felt like she actually have nothing?

 

               “What is missing?” she asked herself for the thousandth time. Still, no answer was given. She turned her heel and walked towards the coat hanger near the door. Draping a white and blue overcoat on her shoulders she stepped out of her room to take a walk and probably summon the beowolves while she’s at it.

 

               Her footsteps echoed in the cold hallways, the emptiness seems more prominent whenever Klein is away. Weiss looked around aimlessly as she knew the castle like the back of her hand and wouldn’t be in any trouble for wandering around since she could always find her way back to her room. As she silently stride in the hallways a soft click of the door opening reached her ears. And the deathly silence of the castle made it even more prominent.

 

               Weiss turned around to the source of the sound and met the other resident that she wouldn’t want to face off right now. It seems like her aimless wandering lead her to a place she should have not walked into. Weiss wanted to curse her own feet right now. Luckily her inner turmoil isn’t reflected on her face.

 

               “How are you?” asked Weiss in a flat tone as she inquired the girl of her status. She haven’t checked on her since the bloody scuffle with the intruders. Which makes it about three days of not seeing each other.

 

               Ruby chose to remain silent and her eyes trained on the floor. Her hand held tightly on the door knob. She looked even more wary and afraid of the Ice Mage than ever. This brought bitterness to Weiss and she couldn’t help but frown slightly.

 

               ‘She’s clearly afraid yet she couldn’t flee, afraid of the predator in front of her, which is me.’ Her scarred eye twitched in irritation.  A sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the girl in front of her helplessly. ‘Get it together, Weiss.’

 

               “Ahem…It seems that you’re doing well. If you’ll excuse me. I need to summon more beowolves. H, have a good day.” Spouting up a hasty excuse Weiss quickly turned around to leave.

 

               ‘Ah, yes. It’s better to leave this to Velvet or Klein. I can’t do th-?’

 

               “Y-yes?”

 

               The Ice Mage froze mid step and stopped her movements when she felt a hand hold down her overcoat, stopping her from leaving. She kept her head up front and refused to look back at the girl that’s holding her down.

 

‘Better not look then scare her again.’

 

               “M, Mr. Klein he…” a hesitant voice filled her ears. Weiss concluded that Ruby must be looking for Klein.

 

               “He went down to the town. He’d be back don’t worry.” She said in an attempt to assure the girl.

 

               Ruby tried to articulate and form a sentence but she couldn’t gather her thoughts. Mustering up her courage she looked up to the back facing Ice Mage. She felt agitated, fear, and restlessness. What she saw back then was something she doesn’t want to recall but at the same time it is something that she could not explain. Eccentric, that is the tagalong keyword for the Ice Mage but Ruby felt like something was weird and really odd about the Ice Mage.

 

               She have been sheltered and kept under strict supervision all her life and that only made her curious about things that she could not understand, that is what the existence of the Ice Mage in front of her. Curiosity burned within her along with the fear of the unknown.

 

               “Injured.” She managed to muster a word. But it seemed to be taken in the wrong way because the Ice Mage was suddenly in her personal space, touching and checking her.

 

               “You’re injured? Where?” Weiss checked Ruby for any sign of injury and frowned when she couldn’t find any noticeable trace. She ran her gloved hands to the latter’s body and even considered checking under the shirt but stopped when her hands were caught into another. With a noticeable frown the Ice Mage showed a confused expression at the younger girl.

 

               “I, No!” Silver eyes refused to meet Ice-blue. “I’m not injured. I, what I meant was…you” she finished off the sentence in a whisper. Realization hit the Ice Mage as she immediately stepped back, hiding her hands behind her back.

 

               “I’m fine. I heal fast.” Said the Ice Mage in a non-committed manner which came off as haughty.

 

               “I see.”

 

               Nobody talked after that and it created an awkward atmosphere that Weiss doesn’t know how to handle. Snow started building up under her feet.

 

               “I need to go.” This time Weiss activated a glyph under her feet and enhanced her speed to make a speedy escape. Leaving Ruby all alone in the hallways.

 

               Ruby knew that she was going to leave and did not do anything to stop her. She have seen the formation of mana on the floor before Weiss could even activate the glyph. Walking back inside her room, Ruby leaned back on the door.

 

               ‘I forgot to thank her for saving me.’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, after forever I finally have the chance to post another chapter.  
> BTW, for those who are confused with the previous chapter I'm sorry for being such a confusing author. Yeah, my work sucks I knows, don't worry I also love dissing my own works. So basically, Weiss created a wall to protect the castle which Ruby 'saw'. She didn't create another one for herself and used a different glyph that slowed the falling of the falling meteor. Beat up the intruders before taking care of the remaining meteor. Wow! I seriously screwed that one up.


	10. The Ice Mage tried her best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Who?” Weiss stood alert in the middle of the snow filled forest, the glyph spinning faster, magic and aura radiating from her fingertips. Frost mist slowly envelopes the area as she stands on guard ready to pounce on the hidden prey.
> 
> Bang!
> 
> A three feet long「Ice spear」suddenly tore down the trees, five feet away from Weiss. Weiss glared sharply on the devastated area, a scowl forming on her face. She turned her head to the right when she heard an almost non-existent sound of boots landing on the snow filled ground. Countless glyphs formed around the Ice Mage like an air tight cage, protectively surrounding her.

 

               Magic is profound and mysterious. One of the mysteries of Remnant that is yet to be fully uncovered along with Aura that every being with a soul possess. Countless theories and speculations are made in order to uncover and peel off each and every layer of Magic yet mankind is still kept in the dark devoid of the truth. The Ice Mage is hailed as one of the top Mages who excels in both Magic Theory and Magic Application. Complicated magic formulas and formations were nothing in front of the eccentric Ice Mage. Yet currently, her figure was devoid of her usual cold expression and the lack of her regal aura could be noticed as she sat down on a small boulder covered with a thin layer of ice, clearly distraught. 

               If the pitiful appearance of the Ice Mage would be seen by the public they wouldn’t believe that this person is the eccentric << Eiskalt >>, Lord of the Eternal Winter Forest. They would even confidently wager an arm or two just to prove you wrong.

               ‘<< Eiskalt >> is cold and noble! Who’s that pitiful person!?’

               “ _Ha_ …This is the first time I felt embarrassment in my whole life.” Lamented Weiss as she rested her chin on top of her folded arms that’s resting on her knees. The disparity with her tone and the expression of her face is as vast as an ocean. Contradicting! Too contradicting.

               If Klein was here he would be sighing and shaking his head with a helpless look on his face, thinking: _‘Mistress, you sound offended than lamenting. Please match the tone with your expression.’_

               After she ran away from Ruby she ended up running too far that when she stopped moving, she noticed that she have already exited the castle and the vast frozen lake greeted her. The cold wind blew around the Ice Mage’s figure as if recognizing its master. The snow under her feet are slowly accumulating and noticeably thicker than other areas.

               _‘I shouldn’t have ran. What if she had something else to say? Would she still approach me after this? Did I drive her away? What if…’_

               A lot of what ifs ran inside the Ice Mage’s mind as her thought accelerated and dived into a depressing ocean. Her mood darkened as she negatively view her actions. A frown slowly crept on her face as it returned to its cold and indifferent exterior.

               She raised an arm and a summoning glyph appeared before her. The glyph spun around as the figure of a blue and white alpha beowolf materialized in front of her. The alpha beowolf waited in front of its summoner waiting for an order.

               “Go, patrol the area and make sure that nobody trespass the boarder. Kill on sight unless it’s one of the villagers. Just drive them out.”

               _Woo!_

The summoned creature howled in response before it took off to patrol the area. Weiss felt a feint presence walking around the boarder, the presence stayed out of the forbidden area but kept lingering around. She wanted to make sure that the scuffle three days ago would not occur again. The poor girl might never look at her again if comes back to the castle dyed in blood. She couldn’t forget the fear in her eyes as it engraved itself into the Ice Mage’s being, startling her shocked and frozen in place.

               “Why didn’t I thought of just putting her to sleep, that could have saved my face” grumbled the Ice Mage.

               Weiss glided through the snowy path with ease as she makes her way towards the location where she felt the intruder. Glyphs slowly forming from the tips of her finger as she spun the glyphs in readiness to apprehend whoever is loitering around the boarder. Her eyes narrowed sharply when the presence suddenly disappear and with no trace at all. As if the previous tracks were purposely made to alert her.

               “Who?” Weiss stood alert in the middle of the snow filled forest, the glyph spinning faster, magic and aura radiating from her fingertips. Frost mist slowly envelopes the area as she stands on guard ready to pounce on the hidden prey.

               _Bang!_

               A three feet long「Ice spear」suddenly tore down the trees, five feet away from Weiss. Weiss glared sharply on the devastated area, a scowl forming on her face. She turned her head to the right when she heard an almost non-existent sound of boots landing on the snow filled ground. Countless glyphs formed around the Ice Mage like an air tight cage, protectively surrounding her.

               “So it was you. I thought you’d never show yourself in front of me again?” Weiss finally remembered _that_ person who managed to walk around her own magic range yet remained undetected. The glyphs around her vanished in an instant.

               “Belladona,” The Ice Mage turned around to face the assassin clad in black and white sleeveless overcoat and an inside shirt that resembles a kimono with wide sleeves, probably where she conceals her weapons, black pants and knee high boots. The hood of the overcoat is pulled over her head hiding the cat ears of the assassin who’s also part of the faunus. Amber colored eyes stared back at her through the holes of a white and purple traditional cat mask. The purple scarf around her neck billowing with the wind.

               “Schnee,” The raven haired assassin nodded in acknowledgement. “You have something, or rather, _someone_ interesting in your midst.” Weiss couldn’t help but hear alarm bells ringing inside her head.

               “What do you mean?” she questioned. The Ice Mage’s mind is racing to every possibility of the dark haired assassin is here for Ruby. To take her away. To kill her.

               “Don’t stare at me like I’m a dead man. I’m not here to pick a fight.” Retorted the assassin as she tilted her head to the side and mockingly stared at the Ice Mage.

               “I’m here to warn you.” Weiss’s attention was diverted with what she heard. She watched as the assassin took out a small envelope from her wide sleeves and threw it carelessly towards the Ice Mage. A careless throw that is imbued with aura, if Weiss hadn’t experienced this before she would have to cast a glyph to stop the momentum to avoid getting hurt.

“Can’t you just hand it over properly? Stop throwing things like it’s a weapon.” Said Weiss as she held the envelope in between her middle and index finger. The latter just shrugged her shoulders.

               “I’ve done my part. We’d meet again << Eiskalt >>.”  With those parting words the hooded figure suddenly disappeared as she took a step back and blended with the shadows. Weiss heaved a long sigh as she felt the latter’s presence disappear from her magic range. Wondering when would be the next time that she would be able to see even the tip of the shadow of the assassin.

               Weiss turned the envelope and saw the purple seal of the Belladonna’s. It seems like this information came from the Belladonna’s own intelligence unit. Their own intelligence unit is league of their own and arguably one of the best information network from the three factions. They could probably dig out all the information needed to destroy a kingdom, good thing they’re part of the [Neutral faction].

               _Woo! Woo! Woo!_

The howl of the Alpha beowolf echoed in the forest. This immediately caught the Ice Mage’s attention. Quickly turning her heel she used her glyphs to quickly arrive to the locations of the Alpha beowolf. The Ice Mage found herself speechless once she saw what or who’s hanging from the Alpha beowolf’s jaws. A girl with a wild golden mane and lilac eyes is being held captive by the Alpha beowolf by the collar of her shirt. The girl is trying to break free from the beowolf’s grasps but a human’s strength compared to a beowolf, much more a summoned of the Ice Mage couldn’t compare to each other.

               “L-Let go! You’re tearing my shirt! These are new!” yelled the girl as she tried to make the Alpha beowolf to release her from its clutches.

               “…”

               This is the first time Weiss saw a person arguing with a beowolf and she doesn’t even look afraid of the beowolf and kept hitting its head.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better late than never! *excuses* 
> 
> Excuse me, I've already experienced the trial version of Adult-ing. I would like to end my trial session. W-What!? What do you mean it's not a trial version but the full version? I want a refund! Is there a manager I can talk to? 
> 
> Goodbye Student Life, I will miss you! *sobs*


	11. The Ice Mage vs The Fiery Intruder Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh man, that person is crazy! She kept sending spears made out of ice towards me. What is she trying to do, skewer me!?” grumbled the stranger as she focused on any sound that indicates that the crazy Ice Mage is present.
> 
> How will the Ice Mage handle the unwanted visitor?

 

Inside these cold walls, Ruby never knew that she's experienced a sense of freedom. Despite being told not to outside the castle walls she has the freedom to roam around, not being bound to stay inside the four corners of her room. She doesn’t have anyone tailing behind her everywhere. Watching every move she made. Although there are instances that she would have one of the Armor Gigas to escort her around, she doesn’t have any ill will nor fear them, she even feels secured and safe whenever she’s around them. But when it comes to the summoner of the Arma Gigas, Ruby felt conflicting emotions and have yet to find out the answer.

 

 _‘She’s cold and scary yet she doesn’t want to harm me even the slightest.’_ Thought Ruby as she sneaked a peek at the Ice Mage who was currently occupied with a stack of paper while taking a coffee break. The stoic expression on her face made the atmosphere seemed to be colder. Ruby could even see the magic gathering around her, light blue particles floating around the Ice Mage.

 

 _‘The Winter Maiden and Spring Maiden probably adores her, I never seen such a condensed amount of ice magic from a person.’_ Ruby remembered the times where she’s still being kept inside that place. She was taught about the history of the Four Maidens. The Four Maidens compromise of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each Maiden represents an element that they favor. Spring for air, Summer for fire, Fall for Earth, and lastly Winter for water. Ice is the combination of two elements which is air and water. Usually, one person only gets the favor of one Maiden but there are blessed people who could get more than one favor from the Maidens. Although the Ice Mage doesn’t possess all four favor from the Maiden Ruby is certain that it’ll be hard to find another person that is as favored by both the Winter and Spring Maiden as Weiss is.

 

Ruby looked around her and found not even a single speck of magic particle. It is her dream to learn Magic but it seems like none of the Four Maidens shows goodwill towards her. Sighing in defeat, she silently turned around her heel and decided to leave the busy Ice Mage inside the study room. She didn’t notice the glowing blue eyes that followed her figure until she has completely disappeared on sight.

 

“Go get Klein,” softly ordered Weiss as she summoned an Arma Gigas. The summoned being bowed in acknowledgment and walked out of the room to perform his task. Weiss turned back her attention to the research paper that she managed to get from the black market.

 

Back to the present, Ruby just walked out of her room when she got tackled over by a large shadow, unable to escape she got trapped between a strong pair of arms that held her in place. She tried to scream but a warm palm quickly covered her mouth, muffling her voice. Ruby tried her best to shake away her captor. It was warm and very inviting but it felt very unfamiliar, she knows how cold Weiss’ hand is, and this couldn’t be Klein because he would never do this to Ruby.

 

“Hfmm…!”

 

“Shhsss! Please, stay quiet. I need to run away from a crazy Mage.” Whispered an unknown voice right just beside her right ear. Her arms are being restricted due to the stranger’s arm is positioned diagonally to block them from flailing, and the other covering her mouth. Ruby heard the stranger which she has already identified as a female due to fact that her back is being pressed to a well-defined body, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed with this situation. She never got close so intimately with another person, the closest that she gets is when the Ice Mage carried her in her arms during the auction.

 

“Oh man, that person is crazy! She kept sending spears made out of ice towards me. What is she trying to do, skewer me!?” grumbled the stranger as she focused on any sound that indicates that the crazy Ice Mage is present.

 

Ruby heard the sounds of multiple footsteps getting close to their location and several howls of beowolves. Weiss must have summoned them to look for the intruder. Her breath hitched when she heard the footsteps stopping by her door, she tried to break free but the single arm that’s holding her in place isn’t budging an inch. Ruby had no idea that the same art was used to hit an Alpha Beowolf’s head, completely bare without any protection of magic nor aura.

 

“Please, go away.” Mumbled the stranger as she wished for the beowolves on the other side of the door to go search somewhere else. Feeling regret that she encountered somebody while trying to run away. If she didn’t enter this room she could have already broken through the window and jumped down to run away from this blasted castle. Shivering at the thought of being skewered by that crazy Ice Mage.

 

_‘Nope, not today. I’m far too gorgeous to become a skewered meat.’_

 

Woo! Woo! Woo!

 

She straightens up in attention, body ready to dash out of the hallway if she ever got discovered. She heard the howl of the beowolves as if communicating with each other then she heard their footsteps running towards a different direction. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips. She doesn’t want to stay in this place and never come back.

 

“Hmph!” Only did she remember that she was still holding this small girl and could have already been suffocating. “Oh, sorry. If I release you promise me that you wouldn’t scream or panic, okay?” she lowered her voice and said in a hopeful tone. She just really want to get out of here and look for her companion.

 

“…”

 

“Do you promise? Nod once for ‘yes’ and shake your head if you still want to scream.” Ruby looked up to her captor in disbelief. Who in their right mind would silently agree to not scream for help after getting captured by a stranger? Ruby plans on running towards the orb that’s across the room as soon as she gets freed by her captor. She needs to contact Weiss.

 

Ruby nods her head and slowly the girl released her from her iron grip and removed the palm on her hand once Ruby didn’t show any signs of screaming. Finally, she managed to get a full view of her captor. She was slightly surprised to see a beautiful girl with wild golden mane and lilac eyes to be the person with an iron grip. Ruby stepped back and kept her distance away from the beautiful stranger. Deciding not to trust her at all.

 

“Listen, I just want to get out of here. I don’t mean any harm. I just got lost in this goddamn forest before getting picked up by a beowolf. Then there was that crazy Ice Mage that wants stab my head with an ice spear.” Explained to the stranger while looking so helpless and annoyed.

 

Weiss stabbing someone with an ice spear is perfectly normal. Ruby knows what the Ice Mage is capable of and how she handles intruders and unwanted guests.

 

“I – hm? You look familiar. Have I met you before?”

 

“What?” Ruby got caught off guard by that sudden question. She never met anyone aside from those in that place, her abductors, and the residents of this Ice Castle; which is just the Ice Mage and Mr. Klein.

 

“It feels like I’ve seen you before, I just couldn’t remember.” The girl took a step forward but Ruby kept the distance by taking a step back.

 

“Stay away.” Her voice lacked volume and it was almost a whisper. Those lilac eyes suddenly soften and looked apologetic. She took a step back and raised both of her arms in the air to show that she doesn’t mean any harm.

 

“I’m sorry for scaring you. I – Oh, shoot!” the stranger suddenly ducked and dived to perform a barrel roll away from Ruby. Ruby felt the sudden drop of the temperature inside the room as an ice blue glyph glowed underneath Ruby’s feet, spinning and illuminating the room. Ruby watched as the room slowly freeze over and get covered with a thick layer of ice. Snow started falling inside the room. A cold gloved hand pulled her back gently and a white cloak enveloped her body. Due to being pulled back Ruby has no choice but to lean back to the Ice Mage. A sigh of relief escaped her lips without her notice. Leaning back to the warmth that the Ice Mage provides despite radiating coldness.

 

“Step back. If you come any closer I wouldn’t be able to guarantee that you wouldn’t just turn into an ice block.” Weiss issued a warning, her eyes glowing icy blue as she maintained the ice glyph on the floor, slowly expanding it to cover the whole room.

 

‘Let’s see you try and run away this time.’ Her eyes trained to every movement of the Fiery Blonde that left a huge crater in the forest and destroyed the front gate of the castle. Weiss admits that she had underestimated this person but she wouldn’t be repeating the same mistake. ‘She tore down the front gate bare handed without any signs of using magic. I need to be careful of her strength.’

 

“Hey, my arm is frozen! Your beowolf ruined my collar and now you’re ruining my sleeves?” The blonde stood up and gestured to her left arm that is encased with ice and slowly creeping up to her shoulder. Weiss frowned at this sight. If it were another person they should have been writhing in pain due to the coldness and not complaining about their soon to be butchered attire.

 

“I’d just pester her to buy me a new one.” Grumbled the blonde as she performed a shrugging motion and the ice that’s covering her left arms broke into pieces. “There, all better.”

 

“By the way, it’s not nice to point an ice spear to a person after ruining their clothes ya know?” she said as she tilted her head to the side, pointing towards her ruined collar of her coat. Weiss just glared stoically.

 

“Who are you?” asked the Ice Mage. Her mind trying to determine as to which Faction the blonde is related to.

 

“Me? Just call me – whoa there! Just take it easy.“ the blonde sidestepped an ice sickle that suddenly shot up from the ground. “Why ask if you’re just going to interrupt me? Geez” she rolled her eyes in exasperation. Ruby could hear the blonde’s endless complaints about people from the [Evil Faction] being rude and psychopaths.

 

“I’d get angry if you keep doing this.” She said as she tiled her head slightly to avoid another ice sickle. She raised her fist and cracked her fingers. “No hard feelings okay? You forced me to do this.” The blonde took a fighting pose and her fist raised to the level of her face. Weiss condensed another ice spear and held it with her left hand. Without any warnings, three ice sickles shoot up from different directions aimed to decapitate the blonde.

 

“Shit,” Weiss mumbled a curse as the blonde suddenly shot forward in blinding speed with a fist already aimed towards their direction. The strength that those fists contain could cause serious damage if she takes them head-on.

 

“Look out!” Ruby who was actually able to see the red-orange particles suddenly gathering to the blonde’s position unconsciously shouted in alarm.

 

“Sorry.” That’s what Ruby heard before she closed her eyes bracing for the impact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally managed to write chapter 11. Adulting is really hard. Lots of bills to pay and lack of sleep. 
> 
> BTW, if ever anybody here knows or at least has basic knowledge about the 48G, I would just like to promote to you guys MNL48. A group that I'm very much devoted to right now. Please give them a chance and I'm sure you would like their songs. If you don't like them then please don't post any hate comments and juts simply forget that you know their existence. Thank you very much.


	12. The Ice Mage vs The Fiery Intruder Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wow, this Ice Mage is crazy rich and most importantly crazy! To fill the whole castle with magic circles. I wonder what her level is.” Yang jumped out from the hole as it crumbles down to the ground. She landed on top of a pine tree. She looked around to take in all the destruction she has caused. “This seems to be a bigger mess than the one I did in the forest.”
> 
>  
> 
> Yang dusted off the lint and straighten up her coat as she prepared to leave this place.

  
_“Remember not to add anything more than what’s necessary. I don’t want to be held responsible to the damages that you would be causing.”_

 

_“Yes, yes. I got it. You don’t need to repeat that all over again.”_

 

_“That’s the problem. You never listen no matter how many times I remind you!”_

 

_“Wha- hey! Not the collar! I spend a long time ironing that. And no, don’t even try messing with my hair.”_

 

“Sorry.” She doesn’t want to do this but this crazy Ice Mage is getting on her nerves and just one wrong move will cause her head to roll. Yang called forth the power from the Summer Maiden, red-orange magic particles gathered around her arms. The familiar warmth of fire magic enveloped her arms as she made sure to control them properly and not let them run amok.

 

 _‘Blakey is so going to be pissed.’_ Yang couldn’t help but think of all the trouble that she’d gotten herself into and all the scolding, begging, groveling that she needs to do after this. Yang just wanted to cry on a corner.

 

“「Ice Glacier」” Visible to the naked eye, Yang saw how the snow that is currently falling suddenly got sucked into a certain area and rapidly formed an ice wall in front of her, blocking the Ice Mage and the silver-eyed girl from her view. Ice sickles rapidly forming to face her fist head-on, Yang couldn’t help but think that the Ice Mage has a crazy obsession of skewering and decapitation people. _‘That’s people from the [Evil Faction] for you. A bunch of lunatics.’_

 

“Orah!” her battle cry echoed inside the freezing room as a blazing fire shot through the ice walls and spikes. Melting them all in the process and quickly evaporating into the air. Yang tore through the ice wall with ease and due to the fire magic particles radiating from her arms the room started defrosting.

 

“Huh!? Where did they go?” Yang stood there staring blankly at the hole she punched through the ice wall only to find out that the Ice Mage and the girl is missing and nowhere to be found. Scanning her surroundings in alertness, trying to find a hint of white but it seems like she’s the only one left in the room. A single ice spear standing vertically on the ground.

 

“Tsk, I used this for nothing.” Yang looked at her arms disappointedly. Clenching and unclenching her gloved hands. “Now, how do I disperse this again?” she wondered as she stared at her arms helplessly. Blake always tells her not to borrow power from the Summer Maiden since she never knew how to disperse them and her constitution is different from others.

 

“Then the usual it is. Sorry, Blakey.” Yang clenched her fist and gathered all the magic into her right arm, took a step back as she threw a punch in the air aimed towards the wall in front of her.

 

Ruby knew that the Ice Mage is well versed in many forms of magic but she never expected her to know spatial magic. She felt the Ice Mage gathering magic and surrounding them with ice the suddenly she felt light headed and once she opened her eyes she’s now inside the study room, Klein rushed towards them worriedly. Four Arma Gigas standing on guard behind him.

 

“H-How?” she turned her head back to look at the Ice Mage only to bump into her chin. She heard a muffled groan from the other. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, a-are you okay?” she asked as she tried to turn around to check the Ice Mage but she couldn’t turn around fully, she looked down and realized that she’s actually being held tightly into the Ice Mage’s embrace. A cold gloved hand holding firmly on her waist. Her white cloak still half draped into her.

 

"I’m okay.” She caught a glance of the Ice Mage rubbing her chin with her free hand. Ruby feeling sorry wanted to turn around and check but whenever she tried to free herself from the Ice Mage the hand that’s on her waist holding her tightly. Ruby could only awkwardly stay on the Ice Mage’s embrace.

 

“Klein take her to the other end of the castle. Make sure to activate all defense mechanism.” Weiss ordered Klein with a serious look on her face. If she didn’t set up spatial glyphs in all the rooms and around the castle grounds then she’s unsure if she would be able to take that first.

 

 _‘Good thing that Old Fogey is obsessed with the mystery of spatial magic. I have a ton of spatial magic devices and gravity dust for short teleportation.’_ Weiss remembered the old mage that used to live in this forest before she took it over forcefully. The old mage was extremely dedicated and obsessed into making 「Gate」 spatial magic possible. Too bad he took interest with the fleeing Weiss back then.

 

“I understand. Please be careful.” Said, Klein, as he took Ruby from Weiss’ protective embrace. Weiss summoned a pack of beowolves to assist them out. “Use them as a decoy. Make sure to ---!?”

 

Weiss wasn’t able to finish her sentence when the whole castle suddenly started shaking as if an earthquake is happening. A deafening sound of something being blown into pieces could be heard. Weiss cast a gravitation glyph to keep them grounded. With a grim look on her face, she walked straight to the window and saw that almost half of the East wing got blown away into pieces. Debris flying in the air.

 

 _‘This is bad. I never saw a person who can harness the power of the Maidens on its purest form.’_ Mages borrow powers from their respective Maiden hence the magic particles, yet they still need to process that pure magic and combine it with their own aura to stabilize it. Pure magic is very unstable that’s why there’s only a handful of [[ Mages ]] that exist. Even if you can call forth magic but if you don’t have the ability to combine it with your aura you’d just suffer a gruesome death by blowing up due to being unable to dilute the pure magic particles that you are using. In simple terms, you borrow power then dilute it with your aura to control it then release it to perform magic.

 

Weiss remembered that the blonde didn’t even use this power to cause havoc in the forest. ‘I might be needing to summon Myrtenaster once again.’ She doesn’t want to always rely on Myrtenaster but for enemies like her she has no choice but take on the safest route.

 

A glyph appeared mid-air and Weiss put her hand inside the glyph as it slowly moves towards the ground forming a standard-sized rapier that she used previously to deal with the spell 「Falling Star」. The glyph disappeared as soon as the tip of the blade was formed.

 

Yang stood in front of the huge hole that she created. Cracks are forming rapidly on the walls and it seems like the floor she’s on is about to collapse. She saw glyphs that the Ice Mage use tries and contain the destruction but they all faded and disappeared completely.

 

“Wow, this Ice Mage is crazy rich and most importantly crazy! To fill the whole castle with magic circles. I wonder what her level is.” Yang jumped out from the hole as it crumbles down to the ground. She landed on top of a pine tree. She looked around to take in all the destruction she has caused. “This seems to be a bigger mess than the one I did in the forest.”

 

Yang dusted off the lint and straighten up her coat as she prepared to leave this place.

 

“W-whoa there!” Yang jumped back and lost her balance mid-air and fell back first on a pile of snow. A look uneasy shown on her face. She found a white hooded figure standing mid-air on a spinning glyph, it seems like the Ice Mage managed to find her.

 

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” She grumbled as she rolled off of the ground and looked up to the crazy mage warily. “Just let me go, damn it!” Yang glared at the persistent Ice Mage. She just wants to get out of here and never come back. Yang jumped back and started dodging the rain of ice sickles.

 

“Can we just talk this out? I don’t want to die and I’m sure you want to live your life to the fullest!” Yang tried to convince the Ice Mage yet the rain of ice sickles never stopped coming spikes even started appearing from the ground. Dodging, skipping around, doing a barrel roll, Yang utilized all acrobatic stunts that she could perform while running towards the direction of the town.

 

“Stop running. Just accept your end.”

 

“Nope, as if!” Yang shouted back to the Ice Mage as she ran zigzag through the forest, sometimes jumping from a tree branch to another just to confuse and lose the Ice Mage. Yet, it remained unsuccessful because the white streak running mid-air is still there every time she looks back to take a peak.

 

Yang punched a few trees to cause distraction and use them to obstruct her pursuer. Yang could see the end of the forest and couldn’t help but be happy. She can finally leave this place full of lunatics. Unfortunately, before she could take a single step outside the forest an ice wall suddenly shot up in front of her and caught her off guard. Yang tried to slow down and turn into a different direction but a splitting pain on her left shoulder blade caused her knees to buckle. Yang knelt on the ground in pain.

 

“W-what?” Yang turned her head to the side and saw a tip of a blade covered in blood pierced through her shoulder. “Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Yang clenched her teeth in pain as she tried to move away but a different kind of coldness is seeping through her body. It isn’t the same with her arm being covered with ice earlier, this kind of coldness isn’t targeting her body. It feels like her soul and aura itself is being attacked by the coldness.

 

“Finally, you stopped running.” Weiss stared at her captive, as she talked using a low and stoic tone. The lack of emotion in her voice sends chills on Yang’s spine. It feels like Death is just right behind her ready to bring down its scythe to collect her poor soul.

 

“I don’t want to use this but I’ve underestimated your capability. You get to choose you end. Become an ice block or lose your head?”

 

“Like anyone would be glad to pick any of those!?” Yang started calling forth the fire magic around her but she found a chilling fact. The fire magic is being obstructed by an unknown force. “Urgh!?” Yang bit her bottom lip as she tries to swallow the blood that’s she’s about to puke. Weiss pushed the blade deeper causing the blood to create a small puddle on the ground.

 

“Since you don’t want to choose. I’d choose one for you.” Weiss summoned a glyph around them, all of them spinning around dangerously as they glow with an ominous light. Yang cursed under her breath as she closed her eyes and braced for her end.

 

“Tsk. What are you doing?”

 

“Stay back.” 

 

Weiss glared at the person who suddenly appeared and stepped in to save the blonde. For the first time she had the urge to stab the mask wearing Faunus in front of her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Weiss manged to capture Yang and now Blake reentered the scene.


End file.
